


Mariah and the Phoenix Foundation (A MacGyver Reboot Sequel Fanfiction)

by MrsMovie



Series: Mariah's Phoenix Journey [2]
Category: MacGyver (TV 2016)
Genre: Action/Adventure, F/M, Fluff and Humor, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-07
Updated: 2021-03-09
Packaged: 2021-03-09 21:54:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 55,363
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27943355
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MrsMovie/pseuds/MrsMovie
Summary: 🚨SPOILERS FOR SEASON 5 OF "MacGyver"🚨This is a sequel to "The Scoundrel and the Beauty (A MacGyver Reboot Fanfiction).Mariah Ann Taylor was an army medic before she met Russ Taylor after he showed up on her friends doorstep with a stab wound one night. He asked her to dinner and that began Mariah's crazy journey to becoming a Phoenix agent and a whirlwind romance, including meeting boy wonder Angus "Mac" MacGyver, hacker Riley Davis, wannabe movie star Wilt Bozer, martial artist Desiree "Desi" Nguyen, and badass boss lady Matilda "Matty" Webber. Together they saved the world from terrorist group Codex. But what is next for Mariah and her oddball family?*I do not own the MacGyver property. All rights go to CBS. I do however own the rights to Mariah and her storyline*
Relationships: Angus MacGyver/Desiree "Desi" Nguyen, Russ Taylor & Original Female Character(s)
Series: Mariah's Phoenix Journey [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2046317
Comments: 3
Kudos: 5
Collections: MacGyver (TV 2016)





	1. Resort + Desi + Riley + Window Cleaner + Witness (5x1)

**Author's Note:**

> This will be a weekly upload, as each episode is released.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We pick up 10 months, and a pandemic, after the confusing events of last season. Trusts are broken, and old wounds are opened up. The teams first mission back has them infiltrating a hotel that's used as a hideout for criminals (John Wick vibes, anyone?) to find a woman with information on her employer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! I'm back with MacGyver! 
> 
> So, to kind of some up the last season, just in case you need a refresher, and if you haven't read my last book The Scoundrel and the Beauty, which you should read it before this chapter, basically Russ Taylor, an ex military man who ran Spearhead Operations, bought the Phoenix Foundation after it got defunded and recruited Mac and the team to help him stop Codex, a terrorist organization that wants to reset the world (aka destroy the world) to save it. Mariah Ann Taylor (formerly Marshal) is a former army medic who helped Russ after he got hurt during a mission of his. They fell head over heels in love and Mariah joined the team. Together, this team was able to stop Codex, even after the reveal that Mac's thought dead aunt, Gwendolyn Hayes, was actually Titan, the boss. We left the last season with Mac and Riley going rogue to get inside Codex, and after a successful op disarming a nuke, and Mac taking over the reigns while Russ heals from a leg injury, and Mariah leaving to help him, they say goodbye temporarily. With the final chapter leaving the team with broken trusts and old wounds opened up, it's gonna be interesting to see how they come back together. 
> 
> With all that out of the way, I'm excited to present to you, chapter 1 of season 5 of MacGyver!

The past 10 months have been quite interesting for the Phoenix Foundation. Mariah and Russ did end up traveling to give Russ time to heal. They talked a lot about how they were feeling about Mac and Riley going rogue, and how upset Mariah was that Russ and Desi both quickly turned on Mac when he needed them most. The couple had come to mutual understanding and were quite happy to be away from the Phoenix Foundation for the moment. That didn't last long, as six weeks after the couple had arrived and Russ was healed, Matty got word to them that the US was going into lockdown, and that if Russ and Mariah didn't fly home soon, they would be stuck where they were vacationing. So, they quickly flew home and dealt with all the affairs two government operation leaders would deal with, and ended up having to shut the Phoenix down, and moving the data collection to being a more mobile unit. With Riley's technical genius, she helped the Phoenix out by using the secure network so the Phoenix employees could still talk to each other and transmit data to the team for analysis. So, even with being under lockdown, and quarantine, Russ and Mariah spent the rest of the 10 months analyzing the data to get information on what happened to Codex and any other villainous behavior that was happening. Cause bad guys don't care if a pandemic is happening. Mariah was able to use the time away to think about what had happened with Mac and Riley going rogue, realizing she had a right to be angry, but she needed to take a step back to know why Desi lost trust in Mac quickly. Mariah and Desi came to a mutual understanding, with Mariah understanding that Desi had her reasons, and Desi understood that Mariah had a right to be angry. Mariah also took the time to separately talk to Riley, making sure her favorite hacker knew that she was glad Riley stood up for Mac. Mariah also talked to Matty, making sure to let her know that she was grateful Matty took a chance with her and for being on Mac's side. So, Mariah had basically talked and came to an understanding with everyone. But that doesn't mean the other members of her weird family didn't get to talk. Riley and Desi never talked, and Russ and Mac never talked. So, once the Phoenix was open again and they got word of a hotel that was housing a woman with information on Codex, Matty approached Mariah with a plan. Mariah was in on the plan. So, Mariah and Matty sent Russ and Mac in to Morocco to extract their benefactor. Once they came back with their friend Vincent, Russ put him in interrogation and had both Mac and Mariah in the room with him as Vincent woke up. "Finally. He's up." Russ said, as the trio walked up to Vincent. "Well, would have been up hours ago if someone hadn't double-dosed him." Mac said, not happy with what happened during the extraction. "Yes. No fighting in front of the hostage." Russ said, as the trio looked at Vincent. "Where am I? Who are you?" Vincent asked, disorientated. "It doesn't matter who we are. We just need you to make a phone call." Mac said. Mariah butted in. "We need you to check us in to the Zurich Grand Hotel and Spa." Mariah said. "We hear it's a good place to lay low for a while, get fixed up. The cops won't touch it." Mac said. "Problem is, they only take guests by referral." Russ said. Vincent hummed in acknowledgement. "And I'm thinking, a personal recommendation from a grade A screw up like yourself would be just the ticket, hmm?" Russ said. "You obviously don't know who my father is, or else you would not be talking to me like that." Vincent said, threatening the trio. "Playing the boss' kid card, I see." Mariah pointed out, slightly amused. "We know who your father is. We also know that you've been keeping secrets from him. I think Vincent senior will be very interested to hear that his son had been using the Grand to embezzle money from him." Russ said, looking Vincent in the eyes, getting to his level. "Ten million dollars, to be exact." Mac said. Vincent was contemplating the options he had. "All right, what names are we using?" Vincent asked, agreeing to the plan. "Actually, we aren't the guests." Mariah revealed. "Okay." Vincent said, trying to dial the rotary phone, but wasn't obviously trying. Russ rubbed his face in annoyance and Mariah really tried to keep her cool. "Your phones broken." Vincent said. Soon, however, Vincent was able to talk. "The Zurich Grand isn't easy to penetrate. First, you'll meet my friend Egor at the front desk. He's the gatekeeper. He's chill. If you play by the rules. The hotel's ancient. Goes back about a hundred years or so, so everything has a code. Dinner means first aid. Spa is a hospital. Housekeeping is code for security." Vincent revealed. He also revealed the no guns or fighting rules and the no electronics rule.

12 hours earlier

Mariah and Matty called Riley and Desi in for their part of the plan that Matty had created. Riley and Desi walked in the war room, with Mariah sensing the awkwardness that was between them. "Oh, great, you're here. I made you two a reservation." Matty said. "Uh, a reservation? Didn't turn out so well last time we had dinner together." Desi said. "I got stuffed in a trunk." Riley said, remembering the date. "Your apartment got destroyed." Desi added. "Oh, and then I got dumped. Remember that?" Riley also added. "Yes, I wanted to kill the guy. Anyway, it's not dinner." Mariah said, bringing the ladies in line. "It's a weekend at the Zurich Grand Resort and Spa." Matty said, showing the building on the screen. "You're sending us on a spa retreat?" Riley questioned Matty and Mariah. Desi groaned. "You don't like spas?" Riley asked Desi. "R & R was never my thing." Desi defended herself. "It's not a vacation." Matty said. Riley and Desi tuned back in. "The Zurich Grand is where the criminal underworld of Europe hide out. You two will be going undercover to extract Paula Matos." Matty said, pulling up the picture of the target. "Paula's a money manager for arms dealer Gustavo Salazar." Bozer filled in as Matty pulled up the picture. "The Butcher of Brazil?" Desi questioned, wondering if they were serious. "Unfortunately, a well-earned nickname, given the trail of bodies left in Salazar's wake." Matty said. "What about this Paula Matos?" Riley asked. "Paula is a money manager for one of Salazar's legitimate businesses." Matty said. "Last year, Salazar pulled Paula in to the criminal side of his empire, using her son as leverage if she talked." Mariah filled in as Matty pulled up the little boy on screen. "A few weeks ago, Paula sent her son into hiding, and she went off the grid. Our sources tracked her to the Zurich Grand." Bozer filled in. "Why would Paula run to a gangster hideout is she's fleeing one?" Riley asked, confused slightly. "Because all guests of the Zurich Grand are guaranteed safety and anonymity, while they get a whole new identity, bank accounts, a fresh start." Matty explained. "And those new IDs are impossible to track because of the resort's rock solid cybersecurity." Bozer said. "And thanks to Mac and my husbands new friend, Vincent, you will be checking in to the Zurich Grand as a criminal team that specializes in high risk tech heists." Mariah continued explaining the op. "I'm counting on you two to get in and get Paula out of there before she disappears forever." Matty finished the briefing. "Just us?" Desi questioned. "Just you. I need a technician and an exfil specialist. Small team, low profile, undercover." Matty said. "I'm stuck here helping Russ and Mac with Vincent once they get here." Mariah said, kinda feeling bad she couldn't go. "Just us." Desi said. "Just us." Riley said. Bozer also seemed to sense the awkwardness that was going on with Desi and Riley. "We got this." Riley said, leaving the war room. "We got this." Desi said, almost pumping herself up. "Good luck. Goodbye." Matty said as Desi left, with Mariah giving Desi a smile as Bozer gave some last minute encouragement before stepping in front of Matty once they were out of earshot. "Okay, now. Uh, is there something going on with those two?" Bozer asked his bosses. "When Mac went after Codex, Riley and Desi were on opposite sides of that op. Mac and Taylor were too. I mean, you saw it play out between them. A trust was broken." Matty said. "And don't forget we got shut down by a pandemic." Mariah added, not really wanting to remember it cause it mostly sucked, besides the fact she got to talk with the team individually. "They need to get their mojo back. That's why you paired 'em up." Bozer said, realizing what happened. "No, they are the right skill set for this op, but as an added bonus, it will force Riley and Desi and Mac and Taylor into some one-on-one time. Hash out what's left unsaid." Matty explained her plan. "That's pretty brilliant." Bozer said. "Or pretty stupid. We'll see." Matty said. "If there's one thing I learned about one-on-one time in this pandemic is that it's actually really helpful." Mariah added, smiling at the idea. 

12 hours later

Mac and Russ had brought Vincent in for interrogation by this point, and Riley and Desi had gotten the invite, using the information that Vincent provided them. Bozer gave Riley and Desi magazine cases to help not only get comms to work in the building, but to also help Riley hack the servers. Riley informed them that they were in, faking Riley's gunshot wound to get them in a room. Riley also hacked the servers and found that Paula had a facial, but then nothing and that she wasn't on any of the cameras after her facial. Mariah had rejoined Russ in the interrogation room, standing behind Vincent when Mac came in with food for Vincent. "Chez Gustav's? Five stars." Vincent said, impressed. "Salmon trout and pink gamba." Mac said, bringing a chair over as Russ didn't seem to like the approach. "Yeah." Vincent said quietly, excited for his food. "With a side... of Iranian beluga caviar." Mac said, pulling out the small tin and sitting down at the chair. "Yeah. So, what can you tell us about "facials"?" Mac asked, using the quote fingers for facials. "Ooh. Facials are gonna cost you." Vincent said. "I figured." Mac said, pushing the container of food towards Vincent, but Russ quickly grabbed it. "I have ten million reasons why you're gonna tell us." Russ said, coming around to face Vincent as Mariah followed. "What is your dad's problem?" Vincent asked. Mariah snorted slightly and pursed her lips to try not to laugh. Russ was offended as Mac just shrugged it off. "What? Dad? I'm not his dad, all right?" Russ said, offended. Mac just shook his head, signaling to ignore it. "Now talk." Russ said. Vincent gave in. "All right. The Grand employs the best plastic surgeons in Europe. Patients get a new face and a new identity to go right along with it. They only keep paper records. That way, there's no digital trail. You know, ensure complete secrecy." Vincent explained. "So they can't connect the old identity with the new one." Mac realized. "Yeah, exactly." Vincent said. "Makes sense. The reason false identities are easy to track is people don't change their faces, just their information." Mariah said. Riley and Desi made a plan to get into the "spa" to hack into the paper records to find Paula. Once they dealt with some men, with Desi not going along with Riley's plan, Riley sent the photos to Bozer, who informed them that they were Salazar's men. Desi pointed out that these two men weren't the only ones going after Paula. "Mac, Taylors, you gotta get in there and watch their backs." Matty ordered. "Okay. Vincent, how would you like your freedom, your money, and your dad to be none the wiser?" Mac asked Vincent, going to sit back down. "And what about my caviar?" Vincent asked. "Oh, I'll throw in the caviar, for sure." Mac said, agreeing to the deal and showing Vincent the caviar. "Okay, well now you're talking. What do you need?" Vincent asked. "We need you to check us into the Zurich Grand as your new business partners. Once your in, you withdraw your cash, you split it with us, and then we let you go." Mac offered. "Mac." Russ patted Macs arm as he walked away. "All of this goes away." Mac said. "Excuse us. It seems my husband needs to talk to us." Mariah excused herself as she walked over with Mac and Russ, ignoring the kinda disgusted look Vincent gave at that information. "I don't trust this guy." Russ whispered. "Just trust me." Mac said, whispering. Russ chuckled softly. "What?" Mac asked Russ, annoyed. "I have reason, given your track record of becoming overly involved with previous Phoenix targets. The Merchant. Your aunt." Russ said. "And you have a track record of becoming overly involved due to your personal vendettas. Leland killing your Spearhead team. For all I know, Salazar killed your mom." Mac said, just as annoyed as Russ. "Come on, Salazar? This is totally different." Russ whispered, defending himself. "Vincent is totally different." Mac defended himself. "You bought him caviar." Russ pointed out. "Really, Mr. Psyops? Let me educate you for a second. Establishing trust with a hostage is far better than threats of violence." Mac explained his idea. "Oh, yes, because that worked a treat when your auntie Gwen used it on you." Russ said. This caused Mariah to perk up. "And she helped us beat Codex. So I say we use this guy right here to get Salazar, unless you would rather drop a bomb on the Zurich Grand and call it a day." Mac said, now angry. Mariah had to stop this, so she immediately smacked them both in the back of the head. Russ and Mac both groaned. "Enough, both of you!" Mariah loud whispered. "Russ, I love you, but that was a low blow. Mac, I love you too, but that was also a low blow. Now stop sizing each other up before I smack you again." Mariah threatened. "Stop it. The three of you. Now, Taylor, I'm with Mac on this one." Matty said, getting the trio in line. "Oh, surprise, surprise." Russ whispered, causing a groan from Mariah. "Russ." Mariah warned. "Take precautions, but get in there. Now." Matty ordered. Russ walked over to Vincent. "Right. If you try anything and we don't check in regularly, our associate will transmit all the info she has on your misdeeds to Daddy. Got it?" Russ said, staring Vincent down. "Mmm. That could be bad." Vincent said. "What do you say?" Mariah asked Vincent. "Do we have a deal?" Mac asked, showing Vincent the caviar. Vincent grabbed the tin can. "Let's go get this bread. One problem, though. Uh, nobody is gonna believe that you're my guys dressed like that." Vincent said. The trio looked down at their clothes as Mariah smiled. They left to take the jet to Switzerland to the hotel. They got changed on the way. It was pitch black outside. Mac had changed from his leather jacket and blue t-shirt and jeans combo to a black suit with a very dark blue collar. Russ changed from his button up and dress pants to a black suit, and Mariah went from her usual t-shirt and jeans combo to a black suit, but it was fitted to her. And Vincent went from his hoodie and jeans to a silver suit, obviously expensive. Russ and Mac's hair was slicked back and Mariah had her hair side braided, joining the sides together and pinning it to the back of her hair, keeping it out of her face. They walked into the Grand, Mariah and Russ's arms linked to show they were together as Vincent walked slightly ahead and Mac beside Russ. The gatekeeper, Egor, came around from his desk. "Vincent." He said in a European accent, glad to see the boy. "Darling." Egor said, still walking to Vincent. "I love the suit." Egor said, eyeing the pricy suit Vincent was wearing. "Egor, my man, you're looking as fly as always." Vincent said. "Well, delighted to have you back. Tell me, uh, how is your father these days?" Egor asked. "Sadly, he's feeling a bit under the weather." Vincent said. Mariah took note, as she thought Vincent senior was fine. "Under the weather. I'm so sorry to hear that." Egor said, showing his sympathy. "Yes." Vincent said. "I'll make sure to send a card." Egor said. "Please, thank you." Vincent said as Egor played with the scarf thing Vincent was wearing. "Now, let's get you and your friends checked in, shall we?" Egor said, going behind the counter. "Please." Vincent said. They waited for Vincent to be done checking them in. Mac and Mariah noticed some men coming in. It was a familiar face. "Salazar has just checked into the hotel." Mac whispered. "Hold on. The Butcher of Brazil is there now?" Bozer asked. "Yeah." Mac confirmed. A minute had passed. "From the medical records, I've been able to reconstruct an image of what Paula may look like now." Bozer said. "Running facial rec on all guests." Matty said. Soon, Riley got something. "We just got a hit on a guest on the 15th floor." Riley reported. Mariah and Mac discretely watched Salazar go into the spa. "Salazar just entered the spa." Mac reported. "We can't have him search back there, guys." Mariah whispered, trying to make a plan. "We need to get to Paula before Salazar finds her." Riley said. "Stay put. We'll deal with Salazar. You, act injured." Russ ordered, as the trio starting to walk with Vincent. "But I'm not." Vincent said. Russ stopped Vincent and put his foot on Vincent's foot, applying pressure. "There are 26 bones in the foot to break. Pick five you don't need or act." Russ threatened. "Okay." Vincent said. Mariah just stood beside as Mac and Russ used themselves as crutches. They entered the spa, with Mariah walking first through the open door and then helped Russ get Vincent in a chair. "Ah, Vincent. Take a seat, you handsome devil. I'll be right with you." The doctor said. "Take your time, my love, take your time." Vincent said. Salazar was talking with the female doctor about asking about a friend and asked if it was okay if he looked for them himself. The Doctor told him no. Mac was looking at a diffuser shaped like a pitcher plant. He put tea tree oil and window cleaner in the diffuser and turned it on and moved seats. "Wait for my signal." Mac whispered. "Copy that." Riley said over comms. "I'd cover your nose if I were you." Mac whispered. The gang all covered their mouths as Salazar's men and the doctor started coughing. Mac got up to leave, so the others did. "Dez, Riles, go. We're gonna follow Salazar." Mac said. Desi reported that they were headed to Paula's room. Mac, Mariah, Russ, and Vincent started jogging through the hallway, trying to follow Salazar's men when Egor stopped them with security. "Ever at your service, Vincent." Egor said "Now, who are these three?" Egor asked. Mariah was confused. "I honestly have no idea. But grandad over here is very rude." Vincent said. "That's my husband you're talking about, dick." Mariah hissed, not happy they got played as Vincent went beside Egor. "Vincent, what the hell?" Mac questioned Vincent. "My dad's perfectly fine, guys. "Under the weather" is hotel code for being with undesirables." Vincent said as security started putting handcuffs on the trio. "You are making such a big mistake." Russ said, also not happy he got played, though not surprised. "Am I?" Vincent asked. "When our associated don't hear from us, not only will they call daddy, but they will send a lot more men to retrieve us, and it will be very messy." Mariah threatened, but still not revealing the identity of the team. "By the time they realize, I'll be long gone. Egor has everything that I need here at the Grand for me to get my paper and disappear." Vincent said. Mac looked annoyed. "Hey, I'm really sorry to have to do you like this, though, man. Bye." Vincent said as the security escorted the trio to another room. Riley and Desi got into Paula's room. Security opened the door to a room and the trio walked in. "Welcome to our RHT rooms." Egor said. "Radiant heat temperature?" Mac questioned, being sarcastic. "Ransom, hostage and troublemakers. The Grand must accommodate the unique needs of all our guests. Please, make yourselves at home." Egor said. He left, leaving the trio alone in the room once the door shut. Mac immediately tried his comm. "Matty, do you copy?" Mac said as Russ tried the door. Mariah gave him a look, which Russ sensed. "Matty?" Mac repeated. "They only left one guard." Russ realized. Mariah turned her comm off cause she kept hearing static. "Cause the room's really secure. Reinforced walls, I'm guessing, to keep our comms from getting through. Bars on the windows, and I don't see any vents big enough to crawl through." Mac said as he started to try and pick his cuffs as Mariah pulled out a bobby pin from her hair and started picking her lock. "Well, you could just call you friend Vincent. Offer him some ice cream if he lets us out. You know, I told you he couldn't be trusted." Russ said, getting in Mac's face. Mariah groaned. This was exactly why she teamed up with Mac and Russ. "I never claimed that we could trust him." Mac said. He threw his handcuffs on the couch with Mariah as Mac grabbed Russ's cuffs. "The real question is, do you trust me enough to get us out of here?" Mac asked. Russ looked and shake his hands, indicating to Mac to pick the lock. "I guess I could really leave you cuffed" Mac said. Mariah got slightly wide eyed. Russ chuckled. "Angus... I trust you to get us out of here." Russ said. Mac picked Russ's cuff. "Honestly, how hard was that." Mac said. He took Russ's cuffs off and threw them on the couch. "All right, so here's the deal." Mac said, walking towards another door. "Walls in bathrooms are plumbed next to each other, so there's a chance..." Mac said as he opened the door, revealing a woman in the checkered bathroom, crouching behind the sink with her hands up. "Don't hurt me." The woman said, scared as she slowly got up. "We are not here to hurt you." Mariah said, her arms out to show she wasn't armed with anything as the scared woman stood up. "No, we got into a bit of a pickle at the resort, and were locked up, too." Russ said. "They didn't lock me up." The woman revealed. "Well, then, why are you here?" Mac asked. "My boss tracked me here. I figured an RHT room would be the last place he'd look." The woman revealed. It seemed to click to the team who this woman was. Russ started walking forward as the woman put her hands up. Mariah stopped Russ, putting her arm out to stop him, signaling him to stop. "You're Paula Matos." Mariah figured out. The woman stated freaking out. "So much for the Grand's famed anonymity! New face, new life. Don't ask any questions." Paula said. She started pacing, muttering in Portuguese. "Lying sons of bitches!" Paula muttered as she looked at herself in the mirror. "Look, you're the reason we're here. We're trying to get you out." Mac said. Russ and Mariah looked at each other, having the same thought. "If you're Paula..." Russ said. "...then who the hell is with Desi and Riley?" Mariah asked, not liking the answer. Mac didn't like the idea either. "Sorry, probably should introduce us. I'm Mariah, this is my husband Russ, and the blond is Mac. We're from the U.S government. We were sent here to find you and bring you back before you went into hiding." Mariah filled in. Mac left, grabbing the fan and doing his thing as the rest followed behind. "I'm supposed to believe you three are super spies who are gonna save me from the most murder-y gangster in the western hemisphere?" Paula questioned, not buying the information. "Yes. Look, I promise..." Russ said, trying to calm Paula down. "These rooms are built for hostages and kidnap victims. We're not getting out." Paula said. Mariah smiled slightly as she caught Mac taking apart the fan. "My colleague has a talent for making anything -- problem, objects, people-- and seeing what others don't." Russ said, looking at Mac. "His methods are unorthodox. He doesn't always do what I think he should do, but his gift is what makes him the best." Russ said, walking over to Mac and looking at him. Mac looked taken back. Mariah smiled. This was why Matty came up with her plan. "Despite my colleague's dubious past, and tendency to withhold personal vendettas, in the end, he always does the right thing." Mac said. Mac and Russ smiled, acknowledging the support. Mariah walked up to them and smiled. "My husband and my colleague may butt heads at times, and be a pain in my ass, but if it came down to it, I would trust them to help me. And I hope they trust me back." Mariah said, looking at Paula. She looked at Russ and Mac. "You boys are the smartest men I know. That's probably why you argue a lot. You both see the big picture, but see different ways of getting that picture." Mariah said, smiling at her boys. Russ and Mac both smiled as Russ squeezed Mariah's hand in gratitude. It was silent for a moment. "Am I supposed to say something?" Paula asked, wanting to get out of the room. "Right. Ready?" Mac asked. Mac took the induction coil and rubbed it across the locked door, using the electromagnetism to basically unlock the deadbolt lock. Mariah stood aside as Mac opened the door and Russ knocked the goon out. Mariah used the cord of the fan Mac destroyed to tie the guard up and they left, with Mariah locking the door before running with the team. They turned their comms on and ran a bit. "Headed south on the second floor. Salazar is in pursuit." Desi reported. "All right. We're headed your way with the real Paula. Unfortunately, the concierge's guards aren't far behind." Mac said as they group continued running. Soon, they met up with Riley and Desi. "Hey." Riley said. "Any idea to get out of here?" Mac asked. "You're the idea guy." Riley said. "I know a way out. Follow me." Paula said. She was about to run, but Desi stopped her. "How do we know you're not leading us into a trap?" Desi asked. "Cause I want to get out of this damn hotel more than you do." Paula said. "Let's go." Mariah ordered, running to follow Paula as the rest of the team followed behind. They came across a hallway with blue lighting. "The resort converted the old servants' hallways into secret passages so that the resort staff and security can get around." Paula explained as the gang kept walking. "Just like Disneyland." Desi said. "Yeah. Disneyland from Hell." Mariah retorted. They made it out of the hallway and into another ornate room with an elevator. "Woah." Riley said as she took out her tablet. "Once Riley hacks the elevator, we'll be able to escape from the lobby." Desi said. Riley's face showed something was wrong. "I'm locked out." Riley said. Soon, red lights came on. "Ladies and gentlemen, we have discovered unwanted guests in the hotel. We kindly request that you remain in your room, under lockdown until the matter is resolved. And once again, have a pleasant stay at the Zurich Grand Resort and Spa." Egor came over the loudspeaker as Russ tried to open a door that was locked and rejoined the circle. Paula started pacing. "I knew I should have stayed in the bathroom." Paula said, getting anxious. "We will get you out of here." Russ assured Paula. "I can get us out of here if I build us a pulley. I just need an initial burst of lift." Mac said, pointing to the skylight. Desi turned to Riley. "You thinking what I'm thinking?" Desi asked. "Yeah. Mac, follow us to the surgical suite." Riley said, leaving with Desi and Mac in tow. "Can you barricade the door?" Mac asked. Mariah shook her head yes as Mac ran with Desi and Riley. Russ, Paula, and Mariah used tables and chairs and piled them up to make a barricade. After a moment, Mac, Riley, and Desi came back with two oxygen tanks and lots of tubing and a wheelchair. "Dez, can you wrap the surgical tubing around the support beams?" Mac asked Desi, pointing to the beams on the ceiling. "And can you help me get these?" Mac asked Russ and Mariah. Russ, Mariah, and Mac grunted as they stood the oxygen tanks up and Desi and Riley got the tubing up. They continued building the pulley as men were shouting and grunting, trying to kick the door un. The team all stood in a circle, grabbing onto the tubing. "Okay, everyone grab one of these, loop 'em around your wrist. Paula?" Mac said, getting Paula over to the tubing as the team did what Mac asked. "On the count of three, you two smash the valves." Mac said, indicating Desi and Russ. "It'll boost 'em across the floor, pulling us up." Mac finished explaining. "Wait. You trust that this thing will hold us?" Paula asked the team. The team all looked at each other. While they've all made mistakes, when it came down to it, this team would trust each other. "Yes." The team all said at once, acknowledging the new trust that was formed. Mac started counting as the gunshots were heard. On three, Russ and Desi smashed the valves, sending the team up, yelling as they held on for dear life. They made it on the roof and were able to make it down to the ground and soon found themselves on the jet going back home, with Mac, Desi, and Mariah sitting, and Riley standing off to the side as Paula sat across and Russ was on the phone. "I-I still can't believe the whole flying tank things actually worked." Paula said, still in shock. "He pulls it off, every time." Desi said. "Well, it's really all in the physics, cause if you change the direction of an applied motion, you can lift anything, including this airplane." Mac explained as Russ came over. "I'm sorry to interrupt this science lesson. That was Matilda. Everything's been arranged for you to testify in exchange for your immunity." Russ explained, putting his phone away and grabbing the bar on the ceiling. "And..." Riley pulled out the small disk from her pocket. "I have a little something to ensure Salazar never sees the light of day again." Riley said. "Am I supposed to know what that is?" Paula asked. "That is all the data from the hard drive you checking in with the concierge." Desi explained. "How'd you get it?" Paula asked. Riley didn't say anything. But, with Mariah knowing Riley, she secretly took the disk out before dealing with fake Paula. "Thank you. I backed everything up just in case Salazar went after my son." Paula explained. "Speaking of your son Luis, we sent a team to pick him up, so he should be waiting for you when you arrive." Russ informed Paula. "Thank you." Paula said, looking at Russ. "All of you. Thank you so much. You're all... unorthodox, aren't you?" Paula said, grateful. Mariah chuckled as the team smiled and Mac looked at Russ. "That is an understatement." Russ said, smiling at his team. Riley walked back to the bar, with Desi following her. Mariah stayed behind with Paula, Mac, and Russ. Mariah looked at Paula. Russ and Mac left to give the women some room, leaving Mariah alone with Paula. "What you did Paula, was honorable. I mean, protecting your son. I know it couldn't have been easy." Mariah said. "Do you have any children?" Paula asked Mariah. Mariah smiled. She eyed Mac and Russ talking, and Desi and Riley laughing. "Not biological children. I had an adopted daughter who died during an earthquake. After she died, I told myself I wouldn't adopt any kids. Until Russ showed up at my house with a stab wound and took me to dinner the next day. He introduced me to the Phoenix and these guys, and they are the closest thing I have to children. I would kill for them and take a bullet any day for them. They taught me about love and helped me to navigate this crazy world I got shoved in. And I wouldn't trade them for the world." Mariah smiled. Paula understood what Mariah was saying. Mariah got up and walked to the bar, where Riley and Desi were. "Everything okay?" Mariah asked, as the girls were all smiles. "Yeah. We're cool." Desi said, and Riley confirmed what Desi said. Mariah exhaled, showing her relief. "What was that about?" Riley asked Mariah. "Well, I knew that you two were not on the best of terms when we got shut down, and I was hoping that you two would find a common ground." Mariah explained. "Yeah. But we're cool now. Mariah, what was bothering you?" Riley asked. "It just hurt me seeing you all arguing and fighting. And, to be honest, I was worried we were done. It also didn't help that I was convinced Russ was gonna serve me the divorce papers once we started fighting bad. I'll be damned if he isn't stubborn as Hell. We took the time off to do a lot of talking, which helped. I'm just glad to see you two laughing." Mariah smiled, trying not to get emotional as she hugged her girls. She let them be and walked over to where the boys are. "Ah, that's what I like to see. My boys getting along." Mariah smiled as she went to side hug Russ. She hugged Mac. "How are you two?" Mariah asked Russ and Mac. "We're good, darling." Russ smiled at his wife. "I've got a confession, Mom." Mac said, mom just slipping out. Mariah looked at Mac, all motherly. "What is it?" Mariah asked. "When you found Riley and I, I was surprised to see you still defending me. I know I hurt you and I felt bad. And the fact that you were just glad I was okay, it affected me." Mac admitted. Mariah hugged him. "Oh, Mac. Let's not try to dwell on that, okay? It was a rough time for us all." Mariah said, trying not to get emotional as she let go of Mac. Russ took Mariah aside as Mac went to join Paula, Riley, and Desi as they were talking. Russ waited for them to be distracted to talk. "Mariah, I know we had a bit of a rough patch, but I'm so glad that you stayed. I know I hurt you." Russ said. "I appreciate you being honest, Russ. And yes, I was hurt. I saw my family turning on each other, and I didn't know what to do to stop it. I know we fought a lot while Mac and Riley were rogue, and I was convinced that we were gonna be..." Mariah couldn't finish her thought. "Wait, you thought I was gonna divorce you because of our fight?" Russ asked, as if it was absurd that she even thought of that. Mariah shook her head and was about to cry, but Russ hugged her, laying her head on his chest. He shushed her, calming her down. "Hey, the thought never even crossed my mind. Gods honest. We're both stubborn people, but that won't stop me from loving you. Marrying you is a choice I'll never regret. No matter how much we fight, I will always be there for you." Russ said, providing some comfort to Mariah. Mariah looked up at Russ and smiled. "I love you, babe." Mariah mouthed to Russ. Russ planted a kiss on Mariah's lips and let go, joining the others sitting down. It was daylight by the time they arrived at the Phoenix. Luis ran to Paula when he saw her. Paula was so glad to see her son again. Russ took Mac aside as Mariah stood by Russ and side hugged him, glad to be home. "Um, for what it's worth, I think we all assumed that everything would go back to normal after Codex." Russ admitted. "Well, it did... mostly." Mac said. "I became so focused on your past mistakes that I... I was blind to my own. And I'm sorry. Fresh start?" Russ said, extending his hand. Mac took his hand and shook it, as Mariah was all smiles. "To making new mistakes." Mac said. He went to walk away. "To think that he, uh..." Russ chuckled as he started following Mac into the war room. "He thought I was your father?" Russ said as Mariah chuckled, both of them amused slightly. "Yeah, ridiculous, isn't it?" Mac said, brushing it off. "Yeah. Dashing older brother, perhaps, but..." Russ said, stopping himself once he got in the war room. "Congrats, guys. After reviewing Paula's hard drive and with the promise of her testimony, Swiss authorities were able to issue a warrant for Salazar's arrest." Bozer said the good news. "And the Zurich Grand was all too happy to turn him over, given he was persona non grata after he broke every house rule." Matty filled in more good news. "Yeah, I'm a bit curious as to what happened to our-our friend Vincent." Russ said, curious. "After you escaped, Egor turned on Vincent. He was furious with Vincent for bringing the Phoenix into the hotel and refused to help him disappear." Matty said. "How do we know all that?" Mac asked. "Because Vincent left and ran straight to the authorities." Bozer said, causing Mac to chuckle along with Mariah. "I guess jail is better than facing dear old dad." Mariah quipped. "Right." Russ said, amused himself. "So where are Riley and Desi?" Mac asked, noticing the absence of the women. "Oh. I've given them the Phoenix jet for a special assignment." Matty said. "Hang on." Russ chuckled softly. "I... I own that jet." Russ said, not obviously been told about this. "Right. Bye-bye." Matty said, leaving. "Yes, Matilda, you don't seem to understand. Listen, I don't know how many times I have to say this. I literally own the -- this op -- Matilda?" Russ said, leaving in a huff to track down Matty. "I literally own this operation!" Russ yelled, going out of earshot as the trio left in the war room laughed. "I think we know who the boss is around here." Mariah joked, causing the boys to laugh again. "Matty." Mac and Bozer said at the same time, chuckling more. Mariah left to go find Russ. Mariah was happy. Riley and Desi were getting along in the Maldives, Russ and Mac were talking again, and Mariah had her family together again. There's nothing better in the world than being with family. Especially one as unorthodox as this one. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you liked this chapter! I'm so glad that we got MacGyver back again! I missed this show. And TBH, I really liked the John Wick vibes from the episode, which the Grand being like the Continental and the code words and the Persona non Grata being like the Excommunicado. I also liked how Matty purposely paired up Riley and Desi and Russ and Mac, cause let's be honest, they needed to talk things out. Which, I'm glad they addressed that issue at least in this episode. I would have liked to have seen Desi and Mac talking about their relationship, but I'm sure it will happen, possibly the next episode, given that the promo photos I saw, Desi and Mac were about to kiss I think. Which, I don't mind having Desi and Mac togther, but I feel like they need to address the issues of their relationship, especially with Desi turning quickly on Mac when he went rogue if they want to stay in a relationship.
> 
> With that little review out of the way, let me know what you thought of the episode, and comment your requests for short stories, and I'll do my best to get them done. With that out of the way, thank you so much for reading this book! Remember to give kudos and share this story! Much love to you all! Stay Safe! 
> 
> Kaylee


	2. Thief + Painting + Auction + Viro-486 + Justice (5x2)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The teams latest mission is a personal one for Russ when the team enlist the help of retired thief Jess Miller to train Desi to steal a bioweapon and go after a corrupt German diplomat who killed Russ's protégé before he sells the bioweapon to a terrorist organization.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! I'm back with another chapter! So, before I start, I have something to say quickly. So with everything going on in the world with COVID, my hours got cut at my job since where I live is shutting down again. Now, what that means is that I will be able to not only watch the episode live, but I'll have more time to write each chapter. So, with that, I hope you enjoy the second episode of season 3!

Mariah waited in the war room with Russ, Desi, and Matty for Mac and Riley to pick up their asset. Soon, after they got the intel loaded up, Mac and Riley showed up with the asset, Jess Miller, retired thief and gymnast who retired after getting hurt on a job and lost her leg. She seemed weary of the people around her, which Mariah couldn't blame her. "Ms. Miller. I see you met MacGyver and Riley. I'm Matilda Webber. This is Desi." Matty said, starting to introduce everyone as Mac shut the door and Russ put the tablet down. "I'm Russ Taylor, and this is my wife, Mariah, owners of this operation." Russ said, walking over to Jess, extending a hand for her to shake. Jess folded her arms, playing tough. "We know you're wondering why you're here." Mariah said, walking up to Jess. "It's crossed my mind." Jess said, still playing innocent. Russ nodded to Matty, signaling her to start the debrief as Russ and Mariah walked over to the screen and Matty pulled up a blurry security photo. "This photograph was taken eight years ago from a surveillance camera at Lancaster Oil." Matty started as Jess walked over to the screen. "A painting was stolen from the CEO's office, a Monet, worth approximately 10 million dollars. Do you recognize this place?" Matty asked Jess. She was stone faced. "No? How about this?" Matty asked again, pulling up another blurry picture. "I'm not sure what this is about I'm a third grade teacher." Jess said, trying to still play innocent. It was obvious no one was buying her cover. "These photographs are all the authorities had to go on back then, cause no technology existed allowing them to see through the disguise. So, the investigation closed quickly." Matty said. "That was technology _before._ But now..." Riley said, pulling up her software. "Pose Invariant Person Recognition allows us to I.D gait and body profile. So, once we get that..." Riley said, unveiling the disguise, revealing the woman in the photo as Jess. "Surprisingly calm for a 60 story fall. I'd hate to see _my_ face during a base jump." Russ said. Mariah smirked slightly. "Oh. I'd pay to see that, babe." Mariah said to Russ, causing a slight groan from Russ. "If this is about taking me to court with this little magic trick, you'll have better luck winning the California State Lottery." Jess said. "Maybe, if we hadn't then run DNA from one of the unsolved crime scenes that fit your profile. We got a match." Matty said, pulling up the photos. "On a diamond theft from a TL-30 safe with a biometric scanner." Matty revealed showing the data. Jess was getting worried. "You cracked that? It's impressive." Mac complimented. "I want to call a lawyer." Jess said, stopping the innocent act. "I'd find a good one if I were you. See, what you don't know is that Lancaster Oil was a CIA front company. You broke into a government facility, Ms. Miller. You committed a crime against your country, and that's all the government will look at. And I will make sure of that... personally." Russ said, getting in Jess's space. "You're blackmailing me?" Jess asked, not intimidated by Russ. "You have skills we need." Russ said, backing off. "I'm retired. I've had some... setbacks." Jess said. "You mean seven years ago when you were lifting jewelry from the penthouse of a six story building, and miscalculated the height of the drop for your descender rig, and shattered your left leg beyond repair?" Mariah questioned the thief. Jess just looked down. "Still stuck the landing, though." Jess quipped. "Okay, let's just cut to the chase, okay?" Mariah said, ready to move on. "Door number one has prison for the rest of your life. _Or_ door number two: accept the mission I'm offering you." Matty said, indeed cutting to the chase. Jess thought about it. "What's the job?" Jess asked. Matty pulled up the intel and Russ looked at the screen. "About a month ago, a deadly anthrax-based bioweapon, code named Viro-486, was stolen from a chemical weapons facility in Libya." Russ started the debriefing. "It's so toxic that one drop, if properly mixed in the airstream, can kill anything in a 50-mile radius." Mac explained the science. "As evidenced in a dark deployment two years ago." Matty said, pulling up the pictures of the dead bodies. "Civilian casualties were well over 10,000." Russ explained. "Trust me, those numbers are true." Mariah said, causing the team to look at her as Russ pulled up the picture of the target the screen. "Hannibal Teague, German diplomat suspected of brokering a deal to sell Viro-486 to an Anti-American terrorist cell known as Black Sun." Russ continued explaining. "Have we identified a target yet?" Desi asked. "We have reason to believe it's the climate summit at the United Nations next month. If Black Sun is successful, anything within a 15 mile radius will be affected." Matty explained. "23 million people dead. Give or take." Mac explained, giving the stakes. "How do you know this guy Teague has it?" Jess asked. "All allied governments have been looking for this weapon for the past 18 months. MI6 tracked it down toTeagues class TXTL-60 high security home safe." Russ said, pulling up the safe and the picture of the woman sent to retrieve it. "Sent someone to retrieve it, and... sadly, the agent failed. We have reason to believe that Teague used her as a guinea pig to test the virus." Russ explained. Jess felt bad. Mariah sensed there was more to the story that Russ left out. "Your job is to steal the bioweapon before Teague has a chance to make the transaction 14 days from now." Matty said, finishing the mission. "You understand I can't do what I used to do." Jess said, wondering what she was supposed to do. "No. You're going to teach Desi." Mariah said. Desi smiled. Jess wasn't pleased. "Whoa, wait. Trying to train someone to do in under two weeks what took me years to learn is a bad idea-- it's a very bad idea." Jess said. "Then let's not waste any more time and get to work. Shall we?" Russ snipped, getting in Jess's face again. He left and walked away, leaving the room. Mariah followed Russ, and found him trying to calm down, leaning against the wall as he exhaled. Mariah hugged him. "I'm sorry." Russ said, calming down some. "It's okay. You don't have to tell me." Mariah said, implying that something was bothering Russ. They walked together back into the war room as they watched Bozer, Mac, and Desi give Jess the schematics of the vault and the room so she could plan the heist. "I don't know about her. We've broken into safes before." Riley said, not liking the plan. "Not like this. This needs an expert. There's no margin for error." Russ said. "Yeah, but your plan puts Desi as risk." Riley pointed out. "A risk that needs to be taken. Teague already has blood on his hands. I won't let him have any more." Russ said. The trio immediately got the impression Russ was hiding something. "There's more to this than just getting that weapon." Matty pointed out, calling out Russ. "Did you know the MI6 agent?" Mariah asked Russ, who was still looking at the screen. "In passing." Russ said. "One of these days, you and I are gonna play poker together, so I can take all of that money of yours." Matty said, causing Russ to turn around. "The truth, now." Matty all but ordered. Russ exhaled, knowing Matty was right. "Rebecca Meyers. I plucked her from the Police Development Program. Smart, insightful. Had all the makings of a top MI6 agent. I trained her. She called me her mentor. No one ever called me that before. She was the most promising agent I'd ever seen, and she was taken from this world far too early. Her family deserves justice for her death. Rebecca deserves justice." Russ said. Mariah just hugged Russ, allowing him to calm down some. "I'm sorry." Mariah whispered to Russ. "Thank you." Russ whispered. Mariah let go of Russ. "So why did you train me?" Mariah asked Russ. "Cause you're my wife. And part of me thought that if I taught you what I knew, I'd protect you better. So, I taught you what I knew. I told myself that since I was teaching you out of love, you weren't my protégé. It soon became an excuse. You were the closest thing I had to a protégé since Rebecca. And it scared me. But the one thing I knew, the one thing I knew that was true was how I felt about you. I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner, darling." Russ said, hugging Mariah, both husband and wife being emotional. "It's okay. If it makes you feel better, I was and still am in love with you, and I never needed to think of you as a mentor. I was your lover, and that was enough." Mariah whispered as Matty and Riley left to give the couple space, fogging the windows on their way out to give them privacy. Mariah and Russ let go, but still held each other. "You know I love you Russ. No matter what happens, I still love you." Mariah said, passing her hand through Russ's hair. Russ did the same. "I love you so much, darling." Russ all but whispered as he pulled Mariah into a kiss, which Mariah reciprocated. A week went by, and it was relatively normal, with Jess training Desi to hold her breath, navigate the laser grid, and doing a vr simulation of the heist to get the timing right. While Desi was doing good, it wasn't enough. Then Matty, Russ, and Mariah got some intel and Matty told Mac, Desi, and Jess to meet them in the war room. Mac, Desi, and Jess walked in the war room. "You, uh, wanted to see us?" Mac said as they walked in. "How's the training going?" Matty asked. "Crushing it." Desi said, not in the mood. "Oh, she's making progress. Another week of 16-hour days and she'll be halfway ready." Jess said, implying Desi needed more time. "Okay, let me ask you this: how good can you get by tomorrow night?" Matty asked Desi. The trio looked worried and nervous. "What?" Desi questioned why the timetable was moved up. "We just got intel that Teague is planning on moving the bioweapon ahead of schedule. Buyers must be getting restless." Russ said. "Well, we'll get it from the buyer." Jess said, wondering why they have to get it now. "Black Sun just won't sit on it. Once it's in their hands, they'll deploy it within hours." Russ explained. "Well, then we're gonna have to improvise, because this plan will never work." Mac said, not liking this. "Desi isn't ready." Jess said. Desi wasn't happy. "Then you are going to Cyrano this thing. Talk Desi through the grab." Russ said. "She isn't ready. She goes in now, it's not gonna work." Jess reiterated. "Well, it's gonna have to work. Because if it doesn't, we're gonna watch and entire city die." Matty said, reminding the team of the stakes. The trio was not happy. "I wish there was another way, but once Black Sun gets the bioweapon, we won't have enough time to make another plan before they release the virus. It's either we grab it tomorrow or never." Mariah explained, sympathetic. The next day, they travelled to Hamburg, Germany and used the cover of the night to get set up for Desi to infiltrate Teagues house. Desi took out a goon at the gate, Mac using himself as bait as Riley, Mariah, Russ, and Jess were waiting in the van, looking at the monitors. Matty and Bozer were back at the war room. "The next guard shift is in ten minutes." Riley informed Mac and Desi. "How's it looking inside?" Mac asked. "Five thermals on the first floor. Second floor is clear." Riley said. "All right, Desi you're green to go." Russ said, giving the go ahead. "You can do this." Mac said, giving Desi some encouragement. "Okay." Desi all but whispered as she put on her glasses and hopped the fence, with Mac on watch. They team was anxious as Desi ran across the lawn and made it to the wall, climbing a gutter. Riley saw that there was a guard coming. "Desi, freeze. Incoming." Riley said. Desi froze and watched the guard pass by. "Okay. You're clear." Mariah said. Desi continued climbing and got up to the skylight. "In position." Desi said, getting her gear out. "Riley, disarm the skylight." Jess ordered Riley. Riley did just that. "Disconnecting now." Riley said. Desi got on her harness as Riley started her thing. "Time to fly." Desi said. Desi dropped down. She used spray to reveal some of the laser grid. "Periphery check." Russ said, talking to Mac. "All clear." Mac said. Desi dropped down. "Nice landing. Now don't breathe." Jess said as Desi started navigating the grid. Everyone was silent as Desi used the pattern she learned to navigate the field. "Your breath. Hold it." Jess reiterated. "Hold it." Jess repeated. Soon, Desi cleared the grid. "You're clear." Jess said. Desi removed the painting and got out the blowtorch, still holding her breath. "Okay, you got 30 seconds." Jess said as Desi started to torch the safe. "Remember, you just have to cut through the locking mechanism." Jess said as Russ looked at the other monitor. "Keep the beam thick. It burns hotter." Jess said, noticing the torch beam was kind of thin. The lock clicked and Desi opened the door. "10 seconds. Do not breathe." Jess said as Desi quickly cut through the sensors and gasped after she did the last one. "Sensors are off." I'm in." Desi said as she ran to the other safe. She started to torch it as Mac was looking out his binoculars, the footage streaming through the monitor. "Guys, I got a visual on Teague." Mac said, the image on the monitors being of Hannibal and his goon talking to someone in a room. "Who's he talking to?" Russ asked Mac. "Kind of hard to tell from this angle." Mac said. "Mac, we need audio on that conversation." Matty ordered as Desi was still cutting. "Coming right up." Mac said. He tore apart something and used his flashlight to convert light to sound. Mac tuned into the conversation. "Okay, guys, I can hear what he's saying." Mac said. The voices were kinda distorted, so Mac translated. "He says, "You're late." The other person's saying something about the... chartered jet not being on time. "I want you to leave tonight." "Okay, I understand." Okay, that's it." Mac said as he stopped listening. "W-We need to get a clear visual of whoever he's talking to." Russ ordered. "Unless he turns around and says cheese, this is the best we got." Riley said. "We've got a whole bunch of nothing." Russ said, not happy. Jess looked at Desi. "Almost there, Desi." Jess said. Finally, Desi got a hole torched in the safe and looked in. There was a problem. "Are you guys seeing this?" Desi said, worried. "Yes." Russ said. "Unfortunately yes. It's gone." Mariah said, causing Jess to sigh. "Well, either we got bad intel or Hannibal already sold it. Desi, get out of there." Matty ordered. "Copy that." Desi said, running out of the room, and doing a summersault over the grid to get to get rig. Mac heard the walkie go off on the down goon and bought some time, speaking German. The gate opened up. "Mac, you got three hostiles headed your way." Riley reported. "They don't look like they bought the accent, Johan." Russ said. The goons started running towards the gate, guns drawn as Mac was getting something ready. "Riley, I need 5,000 hertz of frequency in my comm, stat." Mac said. Riley did, causing the goons to groan and shriek, giving Mac time to run. "Hey, guys, gate's compromised. We need a new exfil. I got to get Desi." Mac said, running across the lawn. "Right. We are on our way." Russ said, getting up into the driver's seat and driving as goons started firing at Mac. Desi heard the gunfire from the roof. "Mac, what's happening?" Desi asked. Mac stayed silent as he was cornered by a goon. "Looks like you got me." Mac said. Mac knocked the goon out, grabbing the gun. "Change of plans.LZ is hot." Mac reported as he tossed the gun he disarmed. Desi got off the roof as Mac was near the back and got cornered. Desi dropped down and took the goon out. "Hey." Desi said, wondering if Mac was okay. "Hey." Mac said, telling her he was okay. An alarm started blaring. "We should get out of here." Desi said, holding the gun. "Yeah. Hey, guys, where's the new exfil?" Mac asked. "Back gate." Russ said. "There is no back gate." Mac said. Just then. Russ backed the van up hard, crashing to the wall. "There it is." Mac said, realizing what Russ meant. Mariah grabbed her gun and opened the side door as the goons fired as them, with Desi firing back. "Get in!" Mariah yelled as Mac ans Desi got in. Desi grabbed a machine gun as Mariah still used her pistol and they both opened the back and fired at the goons, using the doors as cover as Russ sped away. They escaped and made it to the jet. The team gathered in the seating area of the plane. "Well, if it's not in the vault, then where is it?" Mac asked. "Hannibal's kept his movements to a minimum these last few weeks." Russ said, thinking, holding onto the bars on the roof. "And Black Sun hasn't surfaced." Riley said, sitting down at her laptop. "So we can rule out the exchange having already taken place." Russ asked. "No. We can't be sure about that." Matty said. "Well, then, let's hope." Desi said, trying to be optimistic. "Look, need I remind you the destruction that Viro-486 will cause if released into this world?" Russ questiend, getting loud and frustrated. "Russ. We get it." Matty said. Mariah placed her hand on Russ's shoulder, nodding her head, signaling Matty was right. "We'll work up scenarios and get back to you." Bozer said. Russ turned around and went to the bar, groaning. Mariah watched Desi go to Jess. "You did good back there." Desi said. "No. You did." Jess said, impressed with Desi. "Well, you got me through it, so thank you." Desi said as Jess took the compliment. "When I was in the service, I had a close friend who lost a leg. And I know how much it changed his life. You must have gone through a lot. I respect you for that." Desi said, sincere. "Sometimes I think it's my payback. Right? For all those years stealing. But then I remember the world doesn't work like that. I was dealt a hand, and now I play it the best I can. So... can I go home now?" Jess said. Desi was about to answer when Russ spoke up. "Right, everyone. Gather round." Russ ordered. Desi sighed, feeling bad for Jess. "Sounds like a no." Desi said, tapping the roof with her fist, going to walk to Russ with Jess in tow. "I was thinking about this, um, this mystery guest of ours." Russ said. "You mean the guy Teague was talking to?" Riley asked. "I got to say, late-night visits, talking about chartering planes. He wasn't just there to visit an old friend." Desi pointed out. "You think he was a mule?" Mac questioned the idea. "Perhaps. Look, we need to find him, but we can't do that without a clean visual of him." Russ said, wondering what they were gonna do. "I got a reflection here in the mirror." Riley said. Riley zoomed in on the reflection. "I can enhance it, see what happens." Riley suggested, waiting for Russ's go ahead. "Yes, get on with it. What are you waiting for?" Russ said, getting annoyed as Mac and Mariah nodded to follow Russ. Russ was leaning against the bar, facing Mac and Mariah. "Everything okay?" Mac asked Russ. "Yes, I'm fine." Russ said. Mariah and Mac both showed they didn't buy it. "Fine. You don't have to tell me." Mac said, about to leave. "No." Russ said, realizing he needed to come clean. He sighed. "No, I do. I owe you that much. After all, you're putting your life on the line, well, for what is more than the retrieval of a very dangerous weapon." Russ said, causing Mac to perk up, surprised Russ was being open. "The MI6 agent that disappeared trying to retrieve Viro-486 was my protégé." Russ admitted, causing Mac to take a breath, closing his eyes as Mariah side hugged Russ, hoping to help comfort him. "I taught her everything she knew." Russ said, feeling guilty. "What happened to her wasn't your fault." Mac said, trying to alleviate some of Russ's burden. "But what is my fault is altering her life's path. Placing her at MI6. If I hadn't..." Russ was about to continue when Mac cut him off. "She'd be alive? Russ, you don't know that. But what I do know is that you gave her purpose. The same way you did when you gave us all a job. When you brought us all back together. How many lives did you save just doing that?" Mac said, sincere. Mariah sighed. "Mine, for one." Mariah revealed. Russ grabbed Mariah's hand and held it, squeezing it as Mac looked at Mariah, wondering what she was about to say. "You made my life so much better. I wasn't feeling my best when I got the invite to my friends wedding. I had a pretty shitty dating life, and was not feeling my best about myself. I felt awkward, and ugly. When you showed up at my doorstep, it was like it was meant to be. I had a purpose, even if at the time I thought it was temporary. You changed me, Russ. I changed because you cared about me. I hadn't felt the way you made me feel during those first three days in a long time. And that feeling I felt during those three days, I feel everyday because of you." Mariah said, about to cry, but smiling at the relief she felt. Russ held her as Mac let go, but held her shoulder. Russ kissed her forehead, calming her down. "I'm glad you're here, Mariah." Mac said, not really knowing what else to say. "Me too, Mac." Mariah whispered, feeling loved. Then Riley's laptop beeped. "Guys, we got a hit." Riley called out. Mariah composed herself, and nodded to Russ she was good. They walked over to Riley's laptop. On her laptop, showed a picture of an older man. "His name is Henri Bellouse. He's a world class forger." Matty filled in. "That's odd. Why would a forger meet with a corrupt German diplomat late at night for a meeting?" Mariah asked out loud. "The very night the bioweapon disappears." Russ pointed out. "Why would Hannibal use Bellouse as a mule?" Mac asked. "He's a forger, not a bio courier." Mac pointed out. "Well, that's what we need to find out." Matty said. "Got a position on him. Paris." Bozer reported. "Right. Turning this plane around." Russ said, leaving to talk to the pilot, getting excited. Soon, the team arrived in Paris and Mariah, Desi, and Russ had their guns up as they explored his apartment. Russ went to the back and drew his gun, coming up empty. "Damn it." Russ said, not happy with coming up empty. "Place is clear. No sign of the target." Mariah reported, not happy as well. "What about package?" Matty asked. "Taylors, check this out." Desi called out. The couple walked over to ehere Desi was and saw a workbench. Russ looked at it, putting on a glove as Mariah looked around with Desi, seeing all the evidence of forgery. "There's enough evidence here of his forgery business to put him away for life." Desi said. Mariah walked over to Russ as he picked up the empty vial. "The only issue is... the package as moved." Russ reported. This was not good. "Guys, he just entered the building." Riley reported. The trio quickly got into cover with Russ behind the door and Desi in front, standing next to Mariah, all with their guns drawn. Russ cocked his as Henri came in and saw the trio. "Bonjour, Monsieur Bellouse." Desi said. The trio got to work to interrogate Bellouse, gagging him as Riley set up a video call with Matty and Bozer. They got their info, and went to report it to Matty, everyone sitting down, minus Riley and Jess. Russ went to sit down and Mariah joined him, sitting in between Mac and Russ. "Bellouse says he mixed the Viro-486 into paints that he used to make a fake Rembrandt for Teague." Russ reported. "Why?" Matty asked. "The sale is rigged. Teague has already made a deal for Black Sun to buy the painting at auction for 50 million dollars. It's the best way to hand it over with all the attention." Mariah reported. "If the virus is in the painting, it'll kill everyone at the auction." Bozer pointed out. "A-Actually no. The paint traps the virus in a solid state so it can't move through the air. Then, once it's in their possession, they wet down the canvas, they-they run it through a filter and distill the bioweapon." Mac explained. "Only it'll never happen." Russ said. "Well, how are you gonna prevent that?" Matty asked. "We're gonna steal the painting, replace it with a double. Once Black Sun make the transaction, we'll track them out of play." Russ explained the plan. "We get the virus and shut down a terror cell? I like it." Desi said. "I like it, too. In theory." Matty said, not wanting to jump the gun. "And we've got the best thief in the business to talk us through it. What else do we need?" Russ said. "Where's the auction?" Matty asked. "Central Moscow Auction House, in six hours. So we need to steal the painting, replace it before before it goes on the block." Russ said the timetable. "We can make a forgery here, but it wouldn't get there till tomorrow." Bozer said. "No, I got a contact in Brussels. He can get you the statue of David in a half hour." Jess said, solving that issue. "All right. Well, you call him. Now." Russ said, tossing Jess his phone. "The security in this place is no joke. It's gonna take some serious improvisation." Riley pointed out. "Well, that's just the way I like it." Mac said. "I like your confidence, Mac, but I'm not quite sure a Swiss Army knife is gonna get us out of this one." Matty said, calming the team down. "Well, maybe not, but we do have a three hour plane flight. I am sure we can figure something out." Mac said. "Sure. No pressure or anything." Jess said, liking the confidence, but not the stakes. "If not, thousands, maybe millions of people will die." Matty said. "Only if we fail." Mac said. "Failure's not an option." Matty said. "Copy that." Mac said. He hung up the call. The team cleaned up their mess and went back to the plane as Jess called her contact on the plane to Moscow. Mariah saw Jess hanging up the phone and tossing it back to Russ. "We all set?" Mariah asked Jess. "Yeah. Just got to stop in Brussels along the way to pick it up." Jess said. Mariah nodded her head and sat down across from Jess. "I know this wasn't what you wanted to happen, but I appreciate you sticking around to see it through." Mariah said. Jess chuckled. "Well, it was either this or jail, so." Jess said, causing a chuckle from Mairah. "Yeah. Sorry about that." Mariah said. "Hey, I got caught. Plus, this is much better than jail." Jess said. Mariah exhaled. "During my first tour, God I think it was 20 some odd years ago, I was assigned to escort this convoy of supplies and resources to this village out in the 'Stans, and I was four trucks back and the first truck in the convoy hit an IED, and then the soldiers came. It was an ambush. I fired and someone close to me, she lost her leg in the first IED explosion, even though I tried my best to help her. She went through therapy, and I helped her out. She'd cry and curse at the world and blame herself for not seeing the IED sooner. She ended up ODing on her pain meds. I respect your views on the world, how we're just dealt a hand, and we have to play it the best we can. I was lucky that I managed to find my way of the dark cave I was in when she died and when I saw first hand the effects of Viro-486." Mariah revealed. Jess felt bad. "I'm sorry. That couldn't have been easy." Jess said. "No it wasn't. After that, well, I wasn't the same. Let's just say, I knew how my friend felt when she OD'd. How helpless I felt that I wasn't making a difference. If it wasn't for this job, let's just say I wouldn't be talking to you right now." Mariah said, feeling bad that she was open. "You made the best out of the cards you were dealt. That's the only thing you can do." Jess said, making sure Mariah didn't feel bad. "Yeah. Just know I respect you for not letting what happened to you get you down." Mariah said. She gave a half hearted smile and left. Russ walked up to Mariah. "Hey, what was that about?" Russ asked Mariah. "Just Jess telling me that she has our forgery ready, and we'll have to pick it up in Brussels." Mariah said. She went to walk away, but Russ grabbed her arm. "Mariah, something else is bothering you." Russ said, wanting to help his wife. "You're right. You know how I said that I wasn't feeling the best when I got the invite to my friends wedding? Well, I may have undersold how bad I was." Mariah admitted. Russ held Mariah. "I was there when Viro-486 was first tested on that village in the pictures you showed at the briefing. I was apart of a med unit to analyze what exactly happened to the villagers. Men, women, children, all dead. Over 10, 000 bodies I saw that day. And I wanted to quit. Permanently. I wasn't planning on living after my friends wedding. Till you showed up at my doorstep. That's what I meant by you changed me. You showed me so much love that day, love I couldn't feel for a long time because of all that I've seen. I changed my mind when my friend convinced me to call you. I felt like I had met my soulmate, and I'll be damned if I wasn't gonna give that up. So, I went out with you, then you offered me a job, and it was too good to pass up. So, I followed you as far you'd let me. And now here I am. Third in command of a government operation that my wonderful, scoundrel of a husband owns. And I haven't thought like that since. It wasn't always easy, but I don't regret it." Mariah said. She pursed her lips, trying not to cry again. "I appreciate you telling me this. I'm glad that I was able to help you. I felt the same spark you did when I showed up at your door and you opened it. You could've sent me to the hospital, or shut the door on me, but you took me in and helped me. That's why I fell for you, Mariah. You are brave, selfless, honest, and moral. I love that about you." Russ said, sincere. He pulled Mariah in a hug, calming her down. The rest of the flight went well, and three hours later, the team arrived in Moscow and got the forgery. They drove to the auction house to prepare for the heist. Mac, Desi, and Jess walked in the auction house. They made their way over to where the painting was held. They waited a moment until people started clearing out. "All right. Room's clearing out. Desi, post up outside." Russ ordered. "Copy that." Desi ordred. Desi made her way outside the room. "Jess, you're up." Russ queued up Jess. Jess walked up to the painting. "Mac, keep the room clear." Mariah ordered as the last guy left, Mac following behind to make sure he left. Jess turned to Mac, who gave her the signal. She placed a stick on top of the painting. Mac walked up to her. "You sure this will work?" Mac asked. "My specs, your build? Could've made a good team back in the day." Jess said. "Back in the day. That means the past, right?" Mac questioned. "Of course." Jess said. "Good." Mac said. Riley drove to the front to pick the trio up and they waited until night. Riley was ready to start hacking. "All right. We got control of their phones." Riley said. Mac held the device in his hands and handed it to Jess. "Would you like to do the honors?" Mac asked Jess. She pushed the button. Russ answered the phone, and was talking in German to someone named Sergei, acting like he was an old school friend who wanted to catch up as the mirror came down. Then Russ's phone rang again, and he handed it to Mariah. The same guy had said the painting had been stolen. Mariah informed him in German that she was sending her best people on it as Russ and Mac put on Russian police outfits and drove in a police car to the auction house. They were greeted by the security. Russ managed to get past, passing off his non German accent as from his mom, who was Ukrainian. Jess and Desi snuck in and went to get the painting. "Rebooting security system now." Riley reported as she did her thing. Jess and Desi quickly cut the painting out. "10 seconds before cameras come back online." Mariah reported, rushing the girls. Luckily, they managed to get outside with the painting and replaced it. Russ blew it off as the girls arrived in the van. "Matty, we got it." Riley reported. Everyone was all smiled as they realized they did it. Russ, Mac, Mariah, and Desi went into the auction to deal the final blow. The auctioneer sold the painting for 50 million. Two guys got up. "Those guys are gonna be pissed when they find out they paid 50 million for a forgery with no bioweapon in it." Bozer said. "Mac, Mariah, follow them. We'll turn them, use their intel to shut down the cell." Matty ordered as Mac and Mariah started following. "Copy that." Mariah whispered. What they didn't know was Hannibal and his guy followed them, which caused Russ and Desi to follow. They walked up the steps and continued into a buffet room. Mariah stayed behind as Mac walked in and Hannibal and his guy was in. Mariah quickly shut the door as Desi and Russ came out, Desi yelling, "Don't move!", silenced guns drawn as Mariah drew her silenced gun and moved beside Russ. The goon beside Hannibal went to draw his weapon, but luckily Desi two shots in his arm, disarming him. "I told you." Desi said, her gun trained on the goon as Russ's was on Hannibal, and Mariah on the Back Sun goons. "Do I know you?" Hannibal asked Russ. Russ walked up to Hannibal and lowered his gun. "No. But you killed someone very important to me, and I'm going to do what she meant to do." Russ threatened. The gang looked at Russ, wondering what he was gonna do. Hannibal laughed softly. "Kill me?" Hannibal asked, knowing it was cliche. "Put you in a cell for a very, very long time. For her." Russ said. He backed up slightly and hit Hannibal in the face with the gun, causing Hannibal to go down hard. "For me." Russ said. They arrested Hannibal and finished up at the auction house and went back on the plane. Desi came out with strawberries as Mac poured champagne into glasses for everyone. "Teague is on his way to The Hague, the Black Sun operatives gave up their entire organization, and the bioweapon will be destroyed once we get it to the lab." Desi said as she handed glasses to everyone. "So, to success." Desi toasted. They all toasted and took a swig. "Now you get to go home, Jess." Desi told Jess. "With a great story." Jess said. "Which you can never tell anyone." Desi pointed out. "Right." Jess said as Desi ate a strawberry. The team continued to drink. Mariah noticed Russ wasn't satisfied. Mac was talking with Jess. Mariah went to sit next to him as Mac brought over a glass for him. "Oh, no, I'm not really in the mood to celebrate. Thank you." Russ said. "Well, this isn't for what we did. It's to celebrate her life." Mac said, handing the glass to Russ. Russ took the glass and looked at it. "To Rebecca Meyers, a true hero." Mac said, toasting. The trio cluncked glasses. "Rebecca." Russ said, quietly as they took a sip. They mostly sat in silence, with Mariah giving Russ the shoulder he needed. Once everything was done. Russ decided to go on a trip with Mariah to Oxfordshire, England, meeting with Rebecca's parents to tell them the truth. Russ introduced himself and Mariah to them. They sat down at their couches and in the cottage, saying they were sorry for their loss and grabbing tea to drink, telling the older couple who they were. "Yes, well, in our line of work it's... it's hard to keep secrets. Especially from family. Mr. and Mrs. Meyers, your daughter did not work in import/export. Rebecca worked for the British government. MI6." Russ revealed. The couple looked at each other, shocked at the information. "She was a truly outstanding agent. When I first recruited her, she... she was hesitant because of the lies she would have to tell. To you." Russ said. Mariah put her hand on Russ's shoulder, comforting him. "Last week, Rebecca gave her life to save millions of people. She gave us intel which helped us finish what she started. She saved the world." Mariah said, trying to sound optimistic, but sympathetic. The older couple took in the information, seeming to be relieved, yet proud and sad. "When we first sat down, you said, "Sorry for your loss." I'm sorry for yours, too." The woman said. Russ squeezed the woman's hand, realizing they were indeed proud and relieved that they had the truth of their daughters death. They stayed for a bit, remembering Rebecca. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hoped you liked this chapter! This was fun to write! So, here is the weekly review of this episode! 
> 
> This episode was really nice action wise and story wise. I liked the subtle character development with Russ admitting his connection to Rebecca, being her mentor. I also liked how this episode gave Desi a chance to get some proper development without Mac being the center of it. So, I'm not sure how many of you know this, but the actress who played Jess is actually an amputee, so that's good for representation. I also liked how it showed Russ's softer side with him talking to Rebecca's parents. The promo for next week looks like it's gonna be crazy! With Russ getting kidnapped, it should be a good episode! I guess that was the episode they filmed when all the restrictions were in place. So, it'll be interesting to see how they pull it off, and it'll be fun to write! 
> 
> With that out of the way, thank you all for reading this chapter! Remember to give kudos and share this story! Much love to you all! Stay Safe!
> 
> Kaylee


	3. Eclipse + USMC-1856707 + Step Potential + Chain Lock + Ma (5x3)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The team is about to celebrate a job well done, but when Russ gets kidnapped, their celebration is cut short to rescue him. The kidnappers demand: the prisoner known by USMC-1856707. With her husband on the line, can Mariah keep her cool? And with Mac and Desi on the run, they are also forced to confront their relationship problems. With the tensions high, can Mariah keep her nerve and save her husband?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! I'm so sorry this chapter took so long to update, I've been going through some things these last couple of weeks, so I took a break. But I'm back now, so I will get back on track. Without further adieu, here is chapter 3 of season 5!

The team was in beautiful Lake Arrowhead, California, getting intel a target had. Mac and Riley were at the park, acting as a couple, where the target was gonna meet the seller. Mariah was the getaway driver, and Russ, Desi, and Bozer played road workers to block the exit in case the target fled. The team had waited until almost sunset, which is where the meet was taking place. Mac and Riley had set up a picnic, and a telescope for Mac, which he named Morty. Mariah waited in the grey sports car, ready to pursue and get Mac and Riley out if she needed to. "You know, it has always amazed me that the moon is 400 times smaller than the sun, and yet for seven minutes, it completely blocks out the Sun's light, plunging everything in its path into darkness." Mac said over comms. Mariah was slightly amused. "Great inspiration for the world's underdogs. Or the world's psychopathics. Take your pick ." Riley said. Mac chuckled. "Okay." Mac said. Mariah heard Mac and Riley grunting as they sat down on the picnic blanket. "It's good to see you like this, man." Riley said. "Like what?" Mac chuckled. "I don't know. Happy?" Riley said. "Yeah. Last year was pretty rough." Mac said, almost ashamed of himself. "Yeah." Riley said, knowing what Mac was feeling. "First, Codex, then losing my dad, then Gwen." Mac said, remembering them. "Yeah, and not to mention a global pandemic." Riley said. Mac laughed softly. That was indeed a rough time. And this past year had been tough on Mariah too, yet also the best year of her life as well. Finding love, becoming the leader/owner of a secret government organization, getting a new family in the team, defeating a terrorist organization, gaining confidence in herself and her relationships. But then there was the whole almost losing the son and daughter she came to love, and almost losing the love of her life because they were both stubborn. And she got kidnapped. And she had to live through a pandemic. Needless to say, the last year had been pretty eventful. Mariah was ready for some happiness now that her team was back together and they went back to doing ops, but this time less end of the world ops, or we have to catch the bad guy before he kills a bunch of people ops. Mariah had tuned out until Mac brought her in line. "You got eyes on the package?" Mac said quietly to Riley. "Check out the brunette to my right." Riley said, pointing out a target. "Yep." Mac said. Mariah listened while Riley and Mac got a visual for facial recognition. "That's Josephine Tramell, known Central Asian arms dealer. I think we found our buyer. Mariah, you in position?" Matty said over comms. "Yes, waiting on the word, Matty." Mariah reported. "Taylor, you guys in position?" Matty asked. "We are ready and awaiting you command with baited breath, Matilda." Russ reported, causing Mariah to chuckle slightly at the comment. "A simple yes or no works just fine, Russel." Matty said, not amused. "Yes, for some people perhaps, but not Russ Taylor, Matilda." Russ pointed out. Mariah smiled. She also heard a beeping on Russ's end, knowing what the beeping meant, causing Mariah to smile more. "Matilda? Did she just mute my comm?" Russ asked. Mariah chuckled. "She's been testy since you sent her and Mariah to D.C to handle the Senate Appropriations Committee." Bozer said, basically saying yes. "Yes, well, she needs a good reminding who the boss is, doesn't she?" Russ questioned. Mariah snickered. "Let me know how that works out for you." Bozer said, knowing Matty better than Russ. Mariah had her resting bitch face on as she scoffed at the comment. "Why am I sensing that I'm getting a look?" Russ asked, knowing he messed up. "Pretty sure Mariah is." Bozer pointed out, slightly amused. "And why was I sent to the meeting, oh husband of mine?" Mariah asked, dripping with sarcasm. "Well, someone who owned the operation needed to go, and you are better at the meeting part of the arrangement, oh wife of mine." Russ said, giving a similar amount of sarcasm, and a hint of fear of getting his ass kicked later. "Sure, babe. Sure." Mariah said, smirking at herself. It went silent for a moment when Bozer tried to talk, but Desi interrupted without Bozer getting a word in. "It doesn't bother me they're on a fake date. Riley needs to be in range to intercept the upload." Desi said, defensive, and meaning the opposite of what she said. "I didn't say anything." Bozer defended himself. "Well, I can hear you thinking. It's not weird that they're on a date before we've gone on one." Desi said, clearing caring. "After all these months, you and Mac still haven't and kissed and made up since he gassed you and went after Codex?" Bozer questioned. "Yeah, well, the pandemic kind of put a damper on our kissing." Desi said, before realizing she was about to reveal too much. "I am not discussing Mac with his babbly-mouth best friend, a mercenary playboy who uses a decommissioned robot a therapist, and my boss who is basically like a mother." Desi defended herself. It was silent for a moment. "Sparky is a very good listener, actually." Russ said, causing Mariah to chuckle. "I was gonna say scoundrel, but playboy could work." Mariah chuckled out, knowing Russ didn't like that. "Great talk, everyone." Bozer said, before everyone went silent again before Mac reported in. "Opening the package." Mac reported. Riley was typing on her tablet. "Intercepting the upload. I'm in." Riley reported. Mariah had the data up on her tablet in the car, acting like she was reading. "Spearhead's Scylla N12 prototype." Matty said. Mariah realized what it was. "Baby, that's a next-gen suitcase nuke." Mariah said, shocked, but yet not surprised Russ would have this. "A theoretical next-gen nuke, and a very long way from a prototype, might I add." Russ explained. "At least it was." Desi said. Mariah's phone read that the signal Riley had was lost. "Uh, slight problem. I've been made." Riley reported. Mariah put the tablet away and started the car, knowing in a few minutes, something was gonna go wrong. "You think she saw us?" Mac asked. "No, but she is getting away." Riley said, getting up. "Mac, Riley, stop her. Desi and Taylor, block the road. We can't let those specs get into the wrong hands. Mariah-" Matty ordered when Mariah interrupted. "One step ahead of you, Matty." Mariah reported, getting the car into drive. "Hold on." Mac was heard saying. "You're bringing the telescope?" Riley asked, wondering if Mac was serious. "Yep. Leave no man behind." Mac said, running. "Seriously?" Mariah questioned. "Right. Well, we have one chance to stop her." Russ said, getting the others ready. "We better not miss." Desi said. "Go." Russ ordered as they moved the stuff to block the road. Mariah caught Tramell running and getting into her car. Mac got in the backseat of Mariah's car with the telescope and Riley got up front and Mariah hit the gas to follow the car. Tires were screeching as Mariah tried to get as close as she could to Tramell, and dodge the oncoming traffic. After a close wipeout, and almost hitting a couple of cars, Bozer spoke. "One minute until Tramell hits the roadblock." Bozer reported. "You got any tricks up your sleeve? Not sure a roadblock's gonna stop Danica Patrick here." Riley said as Mac grabbed a fire extinguisher from the back. "Perfect." Mac said as he stayed in the back, grabbing more things from the back. "Mac?" Mariah said. "Yeah?" Mac responded. "Hurry!" Mariah said, trying to get Mac to move his ass. "Sorry it's come to this, Morty." Mac said, grabbing the telescope from the back and sitting up. "You named the telescope?" Riley questioned, not surprised, but surprised. "Yes." Mac said, wanting Riley to not judge him. Mac took apart the telescope and the fire extinguisher in the telescope. "30 seconds, Mac." Matty reported. "Mac, hurry up!" Riley said, rushing Mac. Mariah got right on bumper of Tramells car and Mac lit a fuse, then tapped on the valve of the fire extinguisher, sending it out the window and into her back window, causing Tramell to stop just as they got to the roadblock. Mariah slammed on the brakes and the car came to a halt. Everyone got out. Russ, Desi, and Bozer ran to the burning car and pulled Tramell out. Desi shoved Tramell on the hood of the car, putting her hands on her back patting her down for the drive. Desi found it and tossed it to Russ. "Oh. Your suitcase nuke." Desi said, bringing Tramell up. "Theoretical suitcase nuke." Russ corrected, holding the drive. Mac and Riley joined them as Desi and Mariah grabbed Tramell. As they walked away, the car exploded, sending all but Mariah and Desi down on their faces from the blast. "Y'all mess it up every time." Desi said, cocky as she kept going a bit as Mariah helped everyone up. They got picked up and went to lock Tramell up and secure the plans.

The next day, to celebrate, Mac had invited the team over for a barbecue. Everyone had shown up, except Russ. Mac and Bozer went to the store to grab things, so it was just Riley, Desi, and Mariah. Riley was trying to find where Bozer stashed the grill things. Mariah had a feeling something was up with Desi, so since she had the opportunity, she took it. Mariah sat next to Desi on the outdoor seating. "Hey, Des." Mariah smiled at Desi. "Hey." Desi smiled back. Mariah had no idea how to start her conversation. "I'm just gonna jump into it. Desi, what is going on between you and Mac?" Mariah asked. "Nothing." Desi said, dismissing Mariah. "No. Des, you are not doing this. You wanna tell me, or are you going to make me guess?" Mariah asked, sternly. Desi groaned, knowing she wasn't getting out of this. "Fine. I just-- I don't know why Mac won't go on a date with me." Desi revealed. Mariah nodded her head. "Ok. Have you suggested date ideas?" Mariah asked. "No. The pandemic kind of messed things up." Desi said. "All right, I'll give you that one. But even during the pandemic, did you try to talk to Mac?" Mariah said, wanting to help Desi. Desi went silent, giving Mariah the answer. "I thought so. And I guess Mac never spoke to you." Mariah said, getting more silence from Desi. "Thought so." Mariah said. Mariah stood up, pacing. "I know a lot has happened this past year. And I know it wasn't ideal that after Codex, there was a pandemic." Mariah said when Desi looked up. "You're one to talk. You and Taylor left on vacation and I didn't hear from you for six weeks." Desi said, getting snippy. Mariah was perplexed. "Russ was injured, and I don't know if you heard, but I didn't know if I even was gonna be married at that point. Yeah, I left, but Russ needed to heal, and we needed to do a lot of talking. Which, we did. And I was planning on staying for a least another week, had the pandemic not started. And the other part of the trip was to get away so we could talk without being forced to delay because of our jobs. Desi, you could've called Mac." Mariah said, getting a bit heated. Desi stood up. "I didn't know what to say." Desi tried defending herself. "Oh, but you knew what to say when Mac went after Codex." Mariah blurted out, getting Desi's attention. "What?" Desi asked, also getting heated. "Sometimes you have to sacrifice the things you love for the greater good. Wasn't that what you said?" Mariah asked, knowing she hit a nerve, which was the point. "Give me a break, I thought Mac betrayed us." Desi argued. "That's not the point, Des! At the time, you were Mac's girlfriend. And you were the first person to throw him under the bus. Yeah, I saw the security footage of you interrogating Scarlet. You thought Mac was compromised then. Then after interrogating The Merchant, you thought Mac was getting worse. Then when Russ showed you the data the suggested Mac was compromised, boy were you quick to throw your boyfriend under the bus." Mariah said, getting in Desi's space, showing she wasn't happy. "I didn't know what he was thinking!" Desi defended herself. "That's the problem, Des." Mariah said, softly, throwing Desi off. "You always wondered what Mac was thinking, when you should have been asking how he was feeling. And yeah, he would've pushed back, but at least then you would have known why he was off." Mariah said, taking a breath. "I lost trust in Mac. He pushed me away, and I tried to get him to let me in." Desi argued, mostly trying to convince herself. "Trust. I didn't exactly see you letting Mac open up. As soon as you got it in your head that Mac was compromised, you pushed him away, and went through the motions. Believe me, I've been in enough relationships to know what that's like." Mariah said, exhaling again. "You were just as bad, Mariah. We all heard you yelling at Russ." Desi argued, thinking she had a point. "Yes. I'll admit it. Me and Russ fought. See, you're problem, Desi, is you don't know when to switch between being the partner and the girlfriend. I've also had relationships like that." Mariah argued. "What the hell are you talking about?" Desi asked, wondering where Mariah was going with this. "You and Mac were partners before you got together the first time. You trusted him to have your back, and he trusted you to have his back. That's being a partner. Being a girlfriend is a whole different level of trust you're not comfortable with. Because if you were, you wouldn't have thrown Mac under the bus the way you did." Mariah explained plainly. "And you and Russ fighting?" Desi mentioned. "At that moment, I wasn't Russ's coworker, I was his wife, which meant I had the right to argue with him about the call he was making. And I also had to talk it out with him after. See, when Mac went after Codex, and you thought he turned, you acted as his partner, not his girlfriend. You lost trust in him as a partner, causing you to lose trust in him as a boyfriend." Mariah explained. "What's the difference?" Desi asked, wondering the point Mariah was making. "A partner is meant to have your back when you're going through hell. A girlfriend or boyfriend is suppose to help pick up the pieces once they get out. Mac was broken and in pain, and instead of helping him by getting him to open up, you pushed him away. So Mac was scared to talk to you. Because he knew you were questioning his loyalty. Even after Mac told you the truth of what happened, you still don't trust him." Mariah explained. "I trust Mac!" Desi defended herself. "As a partner. Not a boyfriend." Mariah answered. She took another breath, knowing she was getting to heated. "Look. I got trust problems too. And relationships are complicated, believe me I know. Talking helps. Being vulnerable helps. And that is why you don't know why Mac won't ask you on a date. He's scared that he's gonna mess things up again, and you're scared to be open again. You need to trust each other as more than just partners." Mariah said, calmer. "It's not that easy." Desi said, calmer herself. "I know. Never said it was easy. But relationships aren't easy either. So you have to work at it." Mariah said. "You moved in with Russ 3 days after knowing each other." Desi said, thinking Mariah was being hypocritical. "Fair point. Yes, I did. And that was probably stupid thinking about it now. But it took me a while to admit my faults to Russ. And him to me. We became partners and boyfriend and girlfriend at the same time, so I had to learn to trust Russ as both a partner and his girlfriend. It gets even more complicated with marriage." Mariah chuckled. Desi surprisingly chuckled as well. "I imagine so." Desi said. "Yeah. That level of trust is the hardest to figure out. Yes, it didn't take long for me and Russ to get married, but that besides the point. Because being married means talking a step back and talking, but at a more vulnerable level than just boyfriend and girlfriend." Mariah explained. "I don't think I'm ready for that yet." Desi admitted. "That's fine, Des. We all have our shit to work through. But it's better to have someone in your corner when you do." Mariah said, softness in her voice. Desi walked up to Mariah and hugged her. "I'm sorry for yelling at you." Desi said, truthful. "It's okay." Mariah smiled at Desi. Mariah let go and held Desi's shoulders. "You gonna be good?" Mariah asked. "I think so." Desi said.

Just then, the car was heard opening and Mariah and Desi greeted Mac and Bozer at the door as Riley came in with the grill stuff. Desi and Riley went outside to talk, and Mac, Bozer, and Mariah were inside getting snacks ready. Mac was pouring chips into bowls as Bozer and Mariah sat at the island, looking at Desi and Riley laughing outside. "Those two have been bonding lately." Bozer pointed out. "Yep." Mac said, signaling something was off. "What? You'd prefer they were barely speaking to each other?" Bozer asked Mac. "No. Of course not. It's just that Desi has plenty of time for Riley, but no time to go on a date with me." Mac said, seeing a slight issue with that. "Have you actually asked her out?" Bozer asked, looking at Mac. "Yes." Mac said. Mariah gave him the mom look. "Mac." Mariah warned to tell the truth. "Dang it." Mac realized he never actually did. "MacGyver, you need to fix this. Talk to Desi. Yes, you have to be vulnerable. Yes, it's scary, but if you actually love Desi, you need to do it." Mariah said, looking Mac in the face to get her point across. "Ah. Yeah." Mac said, realizing Mariah was right. Bozer looked back at Riley, who was about to start the grill incorrectly. "That's actually good advice. Speaking of fixing things, I need to fix that." Bozer said, seeing Desi about to put lighter fluid on the grill. Bozer went out on the patio as Riley was quietly screaming "Fire!" Bozer had his hands out as he walked up to the grill. "Step away from the coals, Desi. Put it down." Bozer said, amused as Desi out the lighter fluid down. "Just about to light it up." Riley argued, kind of whiney. "I got it. Thank you." Bozer said, walking to the grill. "You're no fun." Desi said, pouty. Mariah looked at the trio and chuckled to herself. "Yeah." Bozer said at the grill. "Let the professional take over. Come to save the day?" Riley said, messing with Bozer a bit. Mariah stayed behind as Desi walked over to Mac and Riley and Bozer were at the grill, watching them like a hawk. Desi and Mac's talk was awkward, and Desi asked for a beer, saying fire made a girl thirsty, which she looked at Mariah, who signaled it wasn't a good line. Mac grabbed Desi a beer. Desi took a sip. "Want to grab a drink sometime?" Mac asked Desi. "Yeah, what would you call this?" Desi asked, showing Mac her beer. Mariah closed her eyes and refrained from commenting as she held her words. Mac and Desi were talking as Mariah tuned in to Riley and Bozer's conversation. "Bozer. If you ask me one more time if I'm okay with Mac and Desi, your little MC Hammer lip-synch video is gonna be trending on Tik Tok in about five minutes." Riley threatened. "If that's how you want to play this, fine. But you're not making a great case for actually being okay." Bozer said. "I'm good, Boze. Whatever I was feeling for Mac was just Codex is ending the world adrenaline." Riley said, saying she was fine. Mariah sensed something else. She walked behind Riley. "You sure about that?" Mariah whispered to Riley as she grabbed a beer. Mariah couldn't see Riley's face. Desi walked up to the grill and went to grab a burger, but Bozer stopped her. "Hey, hey, hey. Taylor's not here yet." Bozer said. "If we have to wait for Lord Tardy Pants, it won't be pretty, Bozer. Where are the buns?" Desi all but threated, causing Mariah to chuckle as she took anther swig of beer. "On his way, hopefully. He wanted to grab some things, told me to leave early." Mariah said. Just then, Mariah's phone rang. She saw it was Russ calling. "Right on cue." Mariah smiled as she answered the phone and put it up to her ear. "Hey, babe. You better get here fast before Desi Hulks out on Boze." Mariah chuckled, smiling. "Darling, I have a tail it seems." Russ said, driving. "What? Guys." Mariah quickly got their attention as she put Russ on speaker, dropping her smile. "You're on speaker." Mariah said. "Black SUV, tinted windows. I'm gonna try and lose him." Russ said. "Babe, careful." Mariah said, worried as she heard screeching of tires. "He's right on my tail." Russ said. "Taylor? Taylor. Can you hear us?" Mac asked. Just then, a crash was heard. Mariah's heart immediately dropped. "Babe!" Mariah called out through the phone. "Come on, let's go." Mac said, going to leave with everyone minus Bozer in tow, as Bozer was going to clean up.

Once they got in the car, Riley tracked Russ's phone as Mariah kept calling it, hoping something would happen. After a minute, the team arrived at the last coordinates Russ was at. "I tracked Taylor's phone to these coordinates." Riley said as Mac pulled up to Russ's totaled car. Mariah rushed out and looked inside, grabbing Russ's phone, but no sign of Russ. "Shit! They grabbed him!" Mariah said, starting to panic, her hands on her head. The rest of the team had gathered around when Russ's phone went off. Mariah answered it. "Hello, MacGyver. You're friend is alive and safe, for now. We'll return him on one condition. You bring us USMC-1856707. You have two hours. We'll be in touch." A distorted male voice came over the comms. Mariah held the phone up to her head, turning away, about to throw it, but she contained herself. No use in breaking Russ's phone. Riley got on her tablet. "What's USMC-1856707? One of Taylor's theoretical weapons?" Bozer asked. "It's not a what, it's a who. Those are dog tag numbers." Desi explained. Mariah turned back. "United States Marine Corps. I may have been an army medic, but I do know my tags. So whoever kidnapped my husbands wants a freaking Marine?" Mariah asked, angry at this point. "Already ahead of you. USMC-1856707 is Eric Andrews, United States Marine Corps, served in Vietnam." Matty said over comms and Bozer's phone as Riley looked him up. "He's a black belt, state champion sharpshooter, collegiate wrester and a wilderness survivalist." Riley informed the team. "Andrews went off the grid after Vietnam, returning to join the Yards, an indigenous group that live in the mountains. He was known for his deadly killing tactics using a chain, which earned him the nickname General Ma." Matty said as the team watched a series of videos Riley pulled up of Andrews killing Vietnamese soldiers during Vietnam, the team looking in fear. "Looks like the U.S government largely ignored him until he resurfaced in Thailand and brutally slaughtered the American attaché and his family." Bozer explained. "The military sent in a team to quietly bring him home. He's been locked up ever since." Matty explained. "Any chance the Feds will let us use him as bait to lure out Taylor's kidnappers?" Mac asked, looking at Mariah, knowing she was about to ask that. "I'll see if I can pull some strings." Matty said. "Use any strings I have as well, Matty." Mariah butted in. "Will do. I'm putting the Phoenix on lockdown. Mac and Desi, get to the prison." Matty ordered. "Nickname General Ma, what does that mean?" Mac asked. "It's Vietnamese for monster or demon." Desi explained, not liking this at all. Mac exhaled. "Oh, great. So..." Mac went to leave. "They want us to trade the devil for Taylor." Mac said, headed for the car.

Everyone followed and loaded in. Mac drove them back to the Phoenix to get another car and Desi and Mac drove to the prison, as Mariah drove Riley and Bozer to an airplane hanger that she knew Russ had. After about an half hour of coordinating, Mariah arrived at the hangar and they got up their tech. They video called Mac and Desi once they were set up. "Where are you guys?" Mac asked, noticing where they weren't at the Phoenix. "Well, with the Phoenix on lockdown, we're working out of Taylor's fancy hangar that Mariah drove us to." Riley filled in. "Any update on Andrew's release?" Desi asked. "Bad news. Despite my reassurance that he would be closely guarded and promptly returned, the FBI director denied my request." Matty informed the team regretfully. Mariah turned to face the screen Matty was on. "What?" Mariah questioned, upset. "I don't disagree. Y'all saw what that guy can do with a chain." Bozer said. Mariah was upset, but kept silent. "If we don't show proof we have Andrew's, they'll kill Taylor." Riley said, knowing the stakes were high. "Riley, any luck tracing the kidnapper's message?" Matty asked. "Nope. I got to wait until they make contact again." Riley informed Matty. "Wait, nobody said we can't talk to Andrews. Mac, Desi, get your asses over to the prison and see if Andrews has any idea who kidnapped my husband." Mariah ordered, getting a bit hopeful that she could get a lead. "Talking. Definitely a start." Desi said, smiling at Mac. "Yeah. And I'm pretty sure we can cook up a surprise finish." Mac said, already thinking ahead. Mac hung up and Mariah rubbed her face, which was drained of the life it used to have. "Matty, can you make some calls to get Mac and Desi into the prison to talk to Andrews?" Mariah asked Matty. "Yeah." Matty said. She hung up. Mariah had her hands on her hips and paced. "Mariah, we'll find him." Bozer comforted Mariah. She smiled at Bozer. "Yeah. I know. I got the five best agents I know trying to find him." Mariah said, sitting on the edge of the table. "God, was Russ this bad when Catalina kidnapped me?" Mariah asked, half joking, trying to keep her energy up. "Definitely worse." Riley smiled at Mariah, knowing it calmed her down.

Another few moments went by, and Matty got Mac and Desi in the prison. Mac had a button cam on his jacket, which Riley pulled up on the screens in the hangar. Mac and Desi walked in, and Desi pointed out Andrews wasn't restrained. Mac tried to introduce himself to Andrews, who was sitting on his bed, cross legged. After s few seconds, he thanked Mac for his patience and sat down at his painting desk, talking about how everyone blamed some supernatural force for evil, when it was their own evil they controlled. Mariah kinda tuned out until Andrews asked Mac why he was there. "My colleague..." Mac said as he pulled out his phone. "His name is Russel Taylor. He's been taken. His kidnappers demanded you in exchange." Mac said, showing Andrews a picture of Russ. Andrews put on his glasses and tried to remember if he met Russ. "I've never met him. But then, I've been in custody since 1985 and we traitors don't get a lot of visitors." Andrews said, taking off his glasses as Mac put his phone away. "Dammit. He's telling the truth, Mac." Mariah said, defeated. She then got an idea. "Mac, see if anyone he knows would want him released." Mariah suggested. Mac got the hint. "Would you happen to know of anyone who would want to secure your freedom? Maybe old allies in Vietnam? The Yards?" Mac asked. Andrews thought a moment. "No one wants me free. Not even me." Andrews said. Mariah held her head down. "I'm sorry I couldn't help you find your friend." Andrews said. "See, uh, the truth is, you still can. How would you like to get out of here? See daylight for the first time in 35 years?" Mac asked, hoping that would be an incentive. Andrews stood up. "Mr. MacGyver, it has taken me years of practice to quell the rage within me. I put General Ma to death. It's in everybody's best interest to keep him buried." Andrews said. Mac looked at Desi. "We should wrap this up." Desi said. Bozer turned to Riley. "Take it away, Riley." Bozer cued up Riley. "One minute, folks." Riley said, perking Mariah up. "Well, thank you for your time. Enjoy your painting." Mac said, leaving the cell. They waited for the trick Mac did to kick in, which gave Mac time to suggest a painting class where you drink wine as a date to Desi. Mac realized Desi didn't like that idea. Quickly Andrews passed out and Desi took out the guard next to them, as Desi used his hand to open the door and Mac got Andrews out, using a cart to wheel him. "Remind me again why Riley tripping the alarms was the best plan again?" Mac asked, realizing the plan may not have been the best. "When Helman breached the black site, I helped redesign the security system, which was adopted by federal prisons around the country. So now, when it goes on lockdown, no one can get in or out of their floor. Including the guards -- right here." Desi said, guided the cart through the hallway until they reached the door they had to go through. Mac realized it was a supply closet. "Desi, we're in a supply closet." Mac pointed out. "Yes. Thank you very much, Captain Obvious." Desi said, locking the door. "What does the closet have to do with your plan?" Mac asked. Desi revealed a panel, which was a backdoor out of the prison. They got out of the prison and loaded Andrews up, tying him up as well. Mac got his picture once they were a good distance away. "Uh, Bozer, I'm sending you proof that we have Andrews in our custody and he's alive." Mac said. "Copy that. Riley just jammed the Feds' comms to buy you a head start." Bozer informed Mac and Desi. "I'm monitoring the situation and I'll keep you updated on the pursuit. But for now, lay low." Riley reported.

Soon, they got a video. Riley pulled it up on the monitors so everyone could watch it. Russ was in damp room, little furniture, and tied to a chair, blood near his eye where he hit his head in the crash. "My name is Russ Taylor. Respond to this message with confirmation that you have USMC-1856707. Or you watch me die." Russ said, clearing reading from something, turning to face the camera on the last line before the video cut. Riley walked to her laptop. "Sending the picture of Andrews. And I'm running a trace." Riley reported as Mariah looked at the blank monitor and closed her eyes. "Hang in there, Russ. I'm coming." Mariah whispered to herself. Mariah could hear from Mac's comm that Andrews asked again to go back to the prison. Bozers tablet chimed. "The kidnappers replied with the time and location for the exchange. It's an abandoned auto repair plant in Vernon. You have less than an hour." Bozer reported for Mac. "Copy that. Got it." Mac reported back, getting the location and time. Soon, Riley had something. "Guys, check this out. The software used to record digital video adds half a second head as a buffer." Riley said, pulling the video up on screen again. "I recovered a piece from before Taylor started reading. I got an image of the kidnapper." Riley reported, getting excited. Mariah grinned at Riley, glad to have a lead. "Oh, you're a genius, Riley!" Mariah exclaimed, getting excited. "Russ, you clever bastard." Mariah whispered to herself, smiling now that she had a lead. That was until she looked back at the video again and saw who it was. "No." Riley said. The image had cleared up fully. "That's Roman." Riley realized. "Son of a bitch. Wait, Gwen shot him before she detonated the bomb." Mariah realized. "But if Roman's alive..." Desi said. "Then Codex is somehow involved in his kidnapping. What does Leland and Codex want with you?" Mac realized, still wondering how Andrews fit into this. "Leland?" Andrews questioned, recognizing the name. "What the hell is going on here?" Mariah asked, trying to process everything. Riley did some digging and reported quickly. "I did some digging into Andrew's time in Vietnam and I found this." Riley reported, pulling a picture up on the monitors. "Check out his commanding officer." Riley said as everyone looked at the picture. "Leland." Bozer said. Riley got the photo to Mac, who showed it to Andrews. "Leland was my C.O in Nam. Then years later, he shows up. He said he had a gig working for people who gave him a purpose. Had this mantra." Andrews revealed. "What was is lost, but from death comes life?" Mac questioned. "Sounds about right. Said he wanted me to join. But I refused." Andrews said. "What does Leland want from you now?" Mac asked. "Last time I saw him was 1985. I-I don't know." Andrews said. "The year you were arrested." Desi pointed out. "I'm guessing it's not a coincidence?" Mac asked. Andrews realized he was right. "You are correct. Leland tracked me down in Nam. He needed my skill set. It was a high-profile target. Innocents were involved, so I said no. That's where I drew the line. Leland carried it out himself, and then pinned it on me. Up until that point, the U.S government left me alone, but... they couldn't ignore Leland's bloodbath." Andrews said. "But brought you in instead." Mac pointed out. "It's taken me many years to let go of my anger at his betrayal." Andrews said. Riley and Mariah did some more digging as Bozer watched for the Feds. "Matty, Riley, we got a problem." Bozer said, pulling up the location of Mac and Desi, and a lot of Feds nearby. "This is Mac and Desi. And these are FBI patrol cars. They've locked in on a signal inside of their car." Bozer said. "Their comms are off, I encrypted their GPS. It's impossible to hack." Riley said, thinking of what caused the signal. "Which means there's only one place that signal could be coming from." Matty said. "All right, cough it up. The tracker." Mac ordered Andrew. "Well, a-a few years back, they gave me a root canal. I thought it was strange, given that I always had perfect teeth-- I'm a diligent flosser." Andrews said. "You didn't think to mention they put a tracker in your tooth?" Desi questioned, upset. "Of course not. It's my only hope to get back into FBI custody before I do something I'll regret." Andrews said as Mac loaded up the locations of the Feds. "Uh, two blocks up, three blocks to the right." Mac said, guiding Desi. "No, no, no no, no. Please, not the dentist." Andrews begged. "I don't need a dentist for what I have in mind." Mac said.

Mac and Desi went off comms for a while, leaving the trio at the hangar to get information and ready next steps. Mariah got an FBI team to the warehouse. "The FBI has picked up Andrew's chip. They're a few miles out." Bozer reported. "Okay, just surrender when they get there and I'll deal with the Feds." Matty said over comms. "Actually, Matty, I did that already. As long as you all are willing to surrender, once we go in they're willing to let you go." Mariah informed them, riding in the FBI van, wearing the FBI vest. "Thanks, Mariah." Matty said. "Of course." Mariah said, glad everything was about done. "Bozer, you got to see this." Riley said, peaking interest. "I had techs pull the old DXS files and digitize the CCD footage from those embassy murders in Thailand." Riley said. Mariah pulled out her phone and saw the video Riley walk talking about. "I assume that's Leland." Bozer said. "Correct. There's more." Riley said. Facial recognition recognized the other person as Andrews. "Andrews was there." Riley revealed. "He's been lying the whole time." Bozer said, getting nervous. "Mac, it's a trap. Andrews lied. He did the job in Thailand." Bozer revealed. Soon, all hell broke loose inside the warehouse. 

After a few minutes of gunfire, Mac talked to Andrews. "Thailand -- What happened?" Mac asked Andrews bluntly. Soon, Mac was chasing Andrews, and got him again. "No more lies." Mac said. "Yes, I worked with Leland. It was only to take out the attaché. No children, no family. I would never agree to that. I was blinded by him once. I-I won't be blinded again." Andrews said, finally telling the truth. "Mac, I'll prove to you I won't make the same mistake twice." Andrews said. More gunfire was heard, and Russ's voice came over the comms. "Hate to interrupt this little chat, chaps, but, Angus, I don't think we can last much longer." Russ said. "Working on it." Mac said. Mariah tuned out the comms, knowing the FBI van was near. 

After a few minutes, Mariah had the FBI guys follow her lead as they entered the smokey warehouse. Mariah helped the FBI round everyone up. Soon, the FBI arrested Mac and Desi, and Russ went with the FBI. Mariah rode back to the prison and by night, she got Mac and Desi back into the hangar. "Ah, my two favorite fugitives. And my lovely wife." Russ said, glad to see them again. "Ain't you a sight for sore eyes." Mariah teased slightly as she jogged to Russ, pounce hugging him. "Thank you, for securing our release." Mac said, walking to the trio. "No problem, Mac." Mariah said. "Did they manage to recover Andrews?" Mac asked. "Unfortunately, no, but luckily, Leland misjudged his old friend. And while Andrews may still be out there, he's not Codex's weapon." Matty informed the team, appearing on screen. "And what about Leland? Does this mean that Codex is back?" Desi asked. "No. Not as they were." Russ informed the team, who had since gathered around the table. "How do we know that for sure?" Riley asked. "Because..." Russ said as he grabbed a box. "We have the scepter." Russ said, taking the box to the table. "How? You said you gave up the location." Riley said. "Yes, I used an old psyops technique to mislead my interrogators and told a partial truth. When the world shut down during the pandemic, the Department of Defense sent everything they had from Codex into a vault at Fort Belvoir." Russ explained, opening the box. "But when everything opened up again, Russ had everything transferred back to the Phoenix." Mariah revealed as Russ put the object on the table. "Huh. That's great. What is it?" Mac said, pointing to the box. "Well, we assumed that it was decorative, but the lengths that Leland went to to kidnap Taylor and free Andrews tipped us off to its importance." Matty explained as Russ waved his hand over the candlestick looking object, causing it to light up at the top and open, revealing a lot of data just floating in the air and circling. "It hold every Codex file, hard drive, financial record and document, dating back hundreds of years." Russ explained as Mariah was amazed at the sight around her. "All of that from an old, rusty stick." Bozer said, also amazed. "And without it, any plans that Leland had to reform Codex are now dashed." Matty said. "So is this the end of Codex?" Mac asked. Russ turned off the device. "Well, Leland may still be out there, but, uh, without this little gem, we can assure that Codex never rises again." Russ said. "And if they attempt to try, we'll be ready." Matty said, hanging up as Russ put the stick in the box. "Okay." Mac said, signaling everyone to leave, but Russ interrupted them. "Before you all scamper off, um, there is one thing that I feel I need to say to all of you. I promise-- no please." Russ said as the team declined. "I will be brief. I... well, you all risked your lives without hesitation to save me, and for that, I would like to thank you. I'm deeply grateful." Russ said, sincerely as Mariah put her arm around Russ's chest. "And thank you all for putting up with my outbursts." Mariah said, also feeling the need to be apologetic. "That's beautiful. So, can we talk about a raise?" Bozer asked, lightening the mood some, which was needed. "No." Russ said. "I see you got a bunch of jets." Bozer said. "I mean, yes, we can, but no. The answer's no." Russ said, dismissing Bozer as he grabbed the box. "Right. Let's skedaddle and, um, leave these two lovebirds to discuss the date that, uh, Desi's been avoiding." Russ said, going to leave. Mariah stayed behind as Bozer and Russ walked. "Just, one piece of advice. Talk to each other, listen to each other, and compromise when you need to. Cause I will smack you both if you mess it up again." Mariah threatened the duo lovingly as she started walking to meet with Russ.

Russ and Mariah drove back to the Phoenix and put the scepter back in the Phoenix's vault and drove home. Mariah looked at Russ, smiling at him as he was driving, the city lights lighting up the car. "Mariah, thank you." Russ looked at Mariah lovingly. "No need to thank me, Russ." Mariah said, smiling at Russ. "Not just for saving me, but for being my compass." Russ said, grabbing Mariah's hand. "When I was being interrogated and electrocuted, Roman showed me a picture of you and Leland threatened to track you down if I didn't give him the location of the scepter. It was that image of you that caused me to give them the partial truth I told them." Russ revealed, switching between looking at Mariah and the road. Mariah looked at Russ. "Russ, I wish I would've gotten there sooner." Mariah said, feeling sorry. "Hey. It's okay. I knew you were coming." Russ said, comforting Mariah. She smiled again. "I'm just glad to see you again. God, I was scared shitless." Mariah admitted, exhaling. "I know." Russ said. The couple remained silent on the entire drive home, but glad they were back together again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Once again, I'm so sorry this chapter was late! Now, time for the episode review!
> 
> So, I did have some problems with this episode. And, yeah, I'm a little upset that the promos hyped up MacRiley, and then pushed it aside for MacDesi. Part of me suspected this would happen, as I was a Destiel shipper in the Supernatural fandom. Trust me, I get it. There's also a part of me that's thinking something was purposely being set up, which I think will be revealed more in the next episode, airing the date of publication of this chapter. I'm also curious as to the reason why Jack is in the title for the next episode, as I'm hoping it's referring to JAck Dalton, as Mac really needs Jack right now. And not much was revealed in the promo. 
> 
> Thank you once again for reading this chapter! Much love to you all! Remember to give kudos and share this story! As always, Much love! Stay safe!
> 
> Kaylee


	4. Banh-Bao + Sterno + Drill + Burner + Mason (5x4)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Team Phoenix is back! Mac and Desi take the next step in their relationship-- meeting the parents! That goes off the rails as Desi discovers her brother is in trouble. Meanwhile, Mariah, Russ, and Matty have to team up with an old enemy to save a recruit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again! I'm back! I'm excited to share with you this episode! Without further adieu, here is chapter 4 of season 5 of MacGyver.

The team went to Belgrade, Serbia for a mission. Desi and Mac were waiters at a restaurant, undercover as waiters to get close to a mark. Russ and Mariah were getting a manifest, but of course, their covers were blown as Desi and Mac were arguing about meeting her parents. "I have weapons manifest, but our cover's blown." Russ yelled as the couple ran to find cover, and Desi and Mac dealt with the guards in the dining hall. "Coming in hot!" Russ yelled. Mac and Desi were still arguing. Russ and Mariah got it and barricaded the door to the room, putting a lamp post in the door handles. "Please tell me you got another way out!" Mariah exclaimed, not liking the scenario. Desi grabbed a chair and threw it, but it just bounced off the window. Desi gasped, realizing she was out of ideas. Mac grabbed the fuel from the buffet table and splashed it on the window with the knife. Mariah actually knew what Mac was doing. "Temperature differential. Nice." Mariah complimented, getting a look from Russ that said, "seriously?" "What? I wanted to be able to keep up with Boy Wonder, so I did some research." Mariah dismissed Russ. Mac lit the fuel, letting it burn for a moment. He then took the champagne bottle out of the ice bucket and splashed the ice water on the window, putting out the fire, then popped the champagne bottle, aiming the cork at the window, breaking it. "Let's go." Mac ordered. Desi went to the window seal. "So, do you want to do it?" Desi asked, continuing the argument with Mac. "Uh..." Mac said, not sure what to say. Russ walked up. "For the love of God, man, just tell her you'll meet her bloody parents!" Russ ordered as the goons came crashing in. They jumped down and escaped.

The next day, once all the chaos had ended, Mac and Desi went to meet her parents as Russ, Mariah, and Matty went to a science contest to meet a recruit. Matty called Riley and Bozer, who was at the Phoenix Foundation. Mariah looked at her phone, as Mac put him, Bozer, and Mariah in a group chat, wanting to know how the meet was going. Mariah smiled as Mac messaged that they were there and he was nervous. Mariah texted him to breathe, be kind, don't get cocky, and show respect to both Desi and her parents. Mariah put her phone back and sat on the hood of the car with Russ. "Hey, Matty. How's the science fair?" Riley asked over the phone. "Riley, I need that supplemental background check you worked up on Eli Brown." Matty told Riley. "Wow. The kid must've nailed it." Riley said, impressed. "200 geniuses from ten different states and Eli beat all of them with a '69 Chevelle that runs on hydrogen fuel cells. Of course, now we have every tech company in America down here trying to recruit him." Matty informed Riley, impressed. "Copy that. Sending now." Riley said. Matty looked at her phone, hanging up. "That thing is an abomination. He's turned a 270-horsepower V-8 American classic into a bloody golf cart-- probably sounds like a weasel dying when you hit the gas." Russ complained. Eli was showing off the car to tech companies. "You know, Matty, I'm not sure about this... recruiting civilians, let alone a child." Russ said, causing Mariah to gasp and look at him. "I'm a civilian, and you didn't have a problem recruiting me on our first date." Mariah teased. "That was different, darling." Russ said. Matty interrupted. "He's not a child. He's a genius who could probably turn you into a cyborg if you paid him enough money." Matty said. "Yes, he's been expelled from his last six schools." Russ pointed out. "He's got a complicated past -- makes him a perfect recruit for the Phoenix." Matty said. Mariah chuckled and put her hand on Russ's thigh.

They waited until everyone left Eli and the Phoenix leaders walked up to Eli as he chirped the alarm on the car. He pulled out the card from the windshield. "Phoenix Foundation." Eli read off the card and looked at the trio. "Okay, uh, let me guess. You guys want me to make prosthetic wings for injured bald eagles at your exotic bird sanctuary." Eli joked, having enough of people talking with him. "If it helps to save the world, then sure. Hi. I'm Matilda Webber. I was hoping to speak with you or your parents." Matty introduced herself. "Foster parents. They're not here. They travel for work." Eli said. "Oh, foster mommy and daddy not here to watch you win first prize?" Russ asked. "I always win. So no big deal, right?" Eli said, not caring. A woman from inside the building called for him. Eli waved to her. "Sorry. Um... look, I got to get back in there to collect all my trophies, crush other kids' dreams, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. You guys seem nice, but I have no interest in saving the world." Eli said, handing the card back to Matty. "You got bigger plans?" Mariah asked. "I'm gonna make a billion dollars before I turn 25." Eli said. "That's cool, but... a billion dollars doesn't go as far as it used to." Matty said, making a valid point. Eli chuckled. "Okay. Then I guess I'll make 10 billion. Start there. Hey, maybe I'll buy your foundation. Help you out." Eli said. Mariah chuckled. "Good luck with that, kid. One of us would have to die first before that happens." Mariah half-joked. Eli left. The trio turned and watched him leave. "Now I like him." Russ said. "Cocky, too smart for his own good. He'd fit right in." Mariah smiled as Matty and Russ.

They waited for Eli to return. Russ stood by the car and Mariah waited with Matty by Eli's car. "Well, well, well. Back for more, huh?" Eli asked. "Well, when I see potential, I don't give up." Matty said. "Well, a lot of therapists and foster parents told me I had potential. What do you bring to the table?" Eli said, wanting the pitch. "Focus, teamwork, friends, a lab-- full of people just like you, so you don't have to work alone anymore." Matty pitched. "The downside is that sometimes the job gets quite intense in certain situations. But, I for one believe the pros outweigh the cons." Mariah continued. "Matty? Darling?" Russ called out to them. Mariah groaned. "A word?" Russ said. "I'll be right..." Matty was about to say when Russ interrupted. "Please?" Russ called out. "Coming, babe!" Mariah called out. "Don't leave. We'll be right back." Matty said as they walked to Russ. "Are you serious, Russ? We just had him. We were talking to him. You distracted us..." Matty started going off as Mariah stood by Russ. "Jogger in blue. That's the third time. We're being watched." Russ said as Marah caught onto what Russ was on about. "Nobody knows we're here." Matty said. Just then, Eli raced off. "Unless it's not us." Matty said. They got in the car. Russ was the driver, Mariah backseat, and Matty was in the passenger seat. Russ raced off and followed Eli's car. Eli got ran over and Russ dealt with the guy in a suit about to grab Eli, superman punching him in the face. The blue jogger ran after Eli. Mariah got back in the car along with Russ and sped to them. Russ got beside the jogger and opened his door, knocking the guy down. Mariah opened her door and scotched over. "Get in!" Russ ordered. Eli got in and shut the door as Russ sped off. Russ drove for a while, hoping to lose the attackers. "Any idea who those chaps are, why they're after you?" Russ asked Eli, who was holding on for dear life in the backseat. "No clue." Eli said. Russ continued driving.

They pulled into a parking lot and Russ, Mariah, and Eli got out and called Riley and Bozer. The trio leaned against the car. "All right, tell them to prep a safe house." Russ ordered. "Safehouse? Like a spy safe house? What is it you guys do again?" Eli asked. "We save people in bad situations." Mariah whispered to Eli. "So I hit a few different indexes. Ran Eli's social, came back legit. But it came from a database of numbers assigned to people in WITSEC." Riley reported. "Hang on. You were in witness protection?" Russ asked Eli. "No." Eli said, dismissing the idea. "His papers were doctored to hide him in the system. His foster parents, caseworkers, none of them had a clue." Riley explained. "Wait, why was I in witness protection?" Eli asked Riley. "We don't know yet." Riley said. "All we know is that someone from your past, Eli, isn't finished with you." Mariah said. "That has to wait. Cameras show an SUV matching the description of the guys who grabbed Eli pulling into the lot right now." Bozer reported. Russ, Mariah, and Eli all got down, looking at the SUV pulling in. "How on earth did they find us so fast?" Russ asked. "They'd have to track you like we do. Have access to traffic cameras, CCTV." Riley realized. "Right, well, I'll distract them. I assume you can drive?" Russ said, laying out a plan and turning to Eli. "Let me help. I have an idea." Eli offered. "Well, let's see what he's got." Mariah said, giving Eli the go-ahead. Eli went to the driver's side and pulled out a knife as Matty got out. He started cutting and pulling on something underneath the steering column. He started stripping the wire. "The cool thing about most cars' auto-park feature is that it's easily hacked. It's only a small jump from auto-park to auto-drive. Your phone, please?" Eli said. Russ gave his phone to Matty, then to Eli, who of course tore it apart. "Maybe there are two Macs, God help us." Russ quipped, impressed. "Well, can Mac make a self-driving car in under two minutes?" Eli asked. The trio looked at each other. "Definitely." Matty said. "Oh, yeah." Mariah said overtop of Matty. "Uh, come to think of it, yes." Russ said at the same time. "How much time do I have?" Eli asked. Eli noticed the guys searching. "Negative time, great. Great." Eli said, exhaling. "Eli. Breathe. Take a breath." Mariah said, causing Eli to look at her. Mariah breathed it, and Eli copied. Mariah exhaled, and Eli exhaled. He started typing on the pad he made. "Start with the basics. Eli... see if you can turn the air conditioning on remotely." Matty suggested, proud of Mariah. "Right... air conditioning." Eli said. He tapped the pad he made and turned on the AC. "Well done." Russ complimented and Mariah smiled. "All right. Um... working to kill the brakes. Revving the engine." Eli said, tapping on the pad. The engine revved and Eli chuckled. "Potential. Focus. Teamwork. Now, show me what you got." Matty said, pointing to Eli, then herself, then between the two. Eli tapped on the phone and got out and crouched by the car one spot over and shut the door. The car drove, distracting the guys while Eli hotwired the SUV and Russ drove them away, fast.

They got in the city and contacted Riley and Bozer again. "Riley, I'm sending you the plates now." Matty said when Mariah had a thought. "Riley, start with law enforcement databases. Only someone with a badge could track us that fast and gain access to the traffic camera logs." Mariah added. Riley didn't like what she found. "Oh, man. Hey, Mariah, you're right. The car you just stole, those guys with guns-- they're Feds. Eli, you're being hunted by the FBI." Riley reported. The gang all looked at each other, not happy with their persuers. "Why the hell is the FBI after Eli?" Mariah asked, wondering what they just stepped into. "I don't know, darling, but we need to get the GPS out of this SUV so we have the advantage." Russ said.   
  


He pulled off in a parking lot outside of the city and they all got out and popped the hood. Eli and Russ looked through the engine as Mariah stood and watched. "So, what exactly would a government tracking device look like, in this case?" Eli asked Russ. "Well, Sherlock, anything you wouldn't normally find in an engine. I suspect today's provided at least a little more excitement than you would normally expect from a think tank." Russ said. "I thought you guys just sat around a WeWork, philosophizing about world peace. This is legit. Maybe after I make my bank, we will work together." Eli said, looking at Russ and Mariah. "Yeah, it isn't all just paperwork and reports, kid. Sometimes you're out in the field. I definitely prefer being in the field than filing reports and dealing with a sexist bureaucrat who thinks that because I married into this job, I'm not capable." Mariah said, causing Russ to look at her. She silently told him to drop it as Russ found the transmitter. "Ah. There you are, you little bugger." Russ said, pulling out the GPS. Russ moved to the window. "Matty. There it is." Russ said, dropping the GPS. He smashed it. "Anybody think legitimate FBI agents would be hunting Eli, guns drawn?" Matty asked. Mariah had another thought. "Son of a bitch! You got a point, Matty. Real FBI would have just talked to Eli in class or something, not try to kidnap him." Mariah pointed out, signaling Riley. "Well, considering the agent who signed out that vehicle was suspended from fieldwork, I'm saying they're dirty." Riley reported from the tablet Matty had. "Right. So, 12 years ago, someone placed you in WITSEC. They created a whole new identity for you. The only thing they didn't falsify was... your Social Security number that remains anchored to you for your whole life. Now, you were a... child then, so not much use for your Social. Until now. Recruiters have been pinging that number nonstop. It's no longer dormant." Russ started putting the pieces together. "That explains how they found you, Eli. This still doesn't explain why Eli was in WITSEC." Mariah pointed out. "There were a number of FBI agents connected to Eli's sealed WITSEC file. The list is two pages long." Riley reported. "Well, we desperately need someone connected to the original case to tell us how Eli wound up in witness protection, but... every last one of those names could be dirty, for all we know." Matty pointed out. "There is one name from the case that's no longer with the agency, so, in theory, we know we can trust him. Elliot Mason." Bozer said, not liking the option. Neither did the trio. "Oh, no. Mason's not gonna help us with this. And even if he were in a particularly magnanimous mood, we don't have the slightest clue where to find him." Matty pointed out. "Actually, I might." Russ revealed.

The group got back in the car and drove to the spot Russ said Mason would be. They got in, Russ and Mariah's guns were drawn. When they walked into the room, Mason was just sitting at a desk. "Hello, Mason." Russ said. Mason reached down. "Hands! Let me see your hands." Russ ordered. Mariah put her gun back and walked to Russ, who went beside Mason, gun pointed at his head as Mason held a screwdriver. "Well, it took you long enough. That ridiculous cell phone trace of yours was screwing up my reception." Mason said, revealing he knew he was being tracked. "If you knew that we were tracing your cell phone, why didn't you ditch your device?" Matty asked. "Cause I thought it'd be beneficial to all of us if we met one last time so that I could tell you to your face." Mason stopped working on the thing he was working on and turned to the trio. "My son is dead. MacGyver's father is dead. I have no interest in coming after you. In fact, I have no interest in you whatsoever. I have a few beautiful chapters left in an otherwise simple life. So thank you. Now, get out." Mason said. "Mason, even if you have a simple life, you got a complicated past." Mariah said, turning to the door, letting Eli know to come in. Mason looked at the door and saw Eli. He got up and walked up to Eli and put his hands on his shoulders, seemingly glad to see the boy. "Xiang." Mason said. Mason had Eli sit at a table, ready to explain the whole situation. Mason poured some water in a cup for him and Eli as the rest of the trio sat around the table. "I've known you since you were five years old. But before I get started, there's something I must tell you. Your parents, your real mother, and father, are no longer with us. I'm sorry. They passed." Mason explained. Eli seemed a bit numb, taking everything in. "Tell me about them." Eli said. "They were Chinese nationals living here in the United States. They had connections to the Chinese Defense Ministry." Mason revealed. "Were they smart?" Eli asked. "They were, yes. They were brilliant. They were kind. They were generous. I would even call them heroes. They loved you. My partner Joshua and I were counterintelligence to the FBI. Parents secretly came to us intel regarding a Chinese mole in the Bureau. In exchange for that intel, they wanted to defect. Instead, we convinced them to work for us." Mason continued explaining. "My parents were spies?" Eli asked. "Yeah. And I regret it. Because if they defected, they'd be alive today. But we needed their help. We had a mole, but we didn't know who. Your parents were collecting encrypted communication between themselves and the mole. I think they discovered the mole, but the mole discovered them. They could have called me or Joshua, but they didn't trust anybody in the Bureau. So they picked you up, and they bolted. They hid out for three days. By the time I got to them, they were on the run again. When I finally found them... it was too late." Mason sighed regretfully, as he knew this was a lot to take in for Eli. "I tried to save them, but..." Mason said. "But the mole killed them." Eli realized. "Yeah. I put you in WITSEC. I buried your identity. I altered your file so that no one in the Bureau, not even the traitor, could find you. I even lost touch with you. Then again, we never found the mole, either. But if anybody's looking for you, it's got to be him, and he'd be pretty high up in the Bureau by now." Mason explained. "You saved my life." Eli said, everything hitting him at once. "What does the mole want with Eli, Mason? I mean, what are they after?" Matty asked. "There's one loose end. The encrypted communication between his parents and that mole. It's on a burner phone. Would expose his identity, his entire network. We never found it. He was on the run with his folks for three days. Hiding out. They would have kept that phone as collateral. They would have stashed it someplace." Mason said. "So, the mole thinks Eli might remember where." Russ said. "I was five. How am I supposed to remember where my parents stashed a phone?" Eli questioned. "We have to find that phone, or these people will never stop hunting you." Matty said. Mariah turned to Russ. "You got any tricks, now's the time, babe." Mariah told Russ. Russ got an idea. "In psyops, we learn that memories are deeply linked to the amygdala, physical senses-- sight, taste, smell." Russ said before Mariah caught on. "It's why when you, say, chew spearmint gum when you're studying for a test, and then chew a piece for the test, it's easier for you to remember the information." Mariah pointed out. "Yes, Darling. Recreating those senses can... you can get even deeper memories. If we take Eli back to the location where his parents were murdered..." Russ explained. "Then you can walk him backwards and help him remember where his parents might have hidden that phone. That might work. I'll draw you a map." Mason said, getting up. "No, Mason. We can't solve this without you. I mean, nobody knows this case better than you." Matty argued. "I told you, I'm done." Mason argued. Matty didn't like that answer. "You owe us. You burned our servers. You killed Charlie." Matty argued. "In payback for the death of my son. And then I saved MacGyver, so in my book, you owe me." Mason argued, leaning against the table. "Think of your son." Matty said. "He's dead. I never stop thinking about him." Mason said. Mariah stood up. "Look, Mason, I know what it's like to lose a child. I lost a daughter in an earthquake back in 2007. She wasn't my biological daughter, but she was the first person I thought of as my child. But I think about her all the time. And every time I feel like losing it, even before I got this team, I think of how proud she was that I was saving lives. She would be so proud that I saved the world." Mariah started tearing up slightly. "See, Mason, I know my daughter would be disappointed if I gave up. She would want me to save everyone I could. I think your son would want the same thing. He'd want you to help Eli." Mariah said, surprising Mason with her honesty and vulnerability. Mason looked at everyone and hit the table. He grabbed a bag and pulled out a gun, but didn't point it, just was going to set it on the table. Russ panicked and drew his gun. Mariah grabbed him. "Russ, enough!" Mariah ordered Russ. Mason disarmed the gun and pulled out boxes of ammo. Russ put his gun down and they loaded back up in the SUV.

Mason guided Russ to where Eli's parents were murdered. They walked up near a tree. "Any of this look or feel familiar to you?" Mason asked. Eli looked at the location. "Is this where my parents died?" Eli asked. "Yeah." Mason confirmed. It was clear Eli didn't have any memories of the location. "Physical locations can be a strong trigger for memories." Russ said. Mariah had a thought. "Eli, can you stand by that tree?" Mariah asked. Eli walked over to the tree. "And just like before, slow your breath." Matty said. Matty coached him through the breaths. "Now, try touching the tree." Mariah said. Eli touched the tree. "Feel the bark underneath your fingers. Now... what do you feel?" Matty said, continuing on Mariah's idea. Eli let go of the tree. "I'm sorry. Um, look, I didn't even know I'd met my birth parents. I don't think this is gonna work." Eli said. "Look, memories can be hazy. But violent, stressful acts are so well coded, so written into our beings forevermore, they're indelible. You know this. You've lived it." Russ said, giving Eli some encouragement. "Eli, you can do this, okay? Close your eyes and take a breath." Matty said. Both Matty and Eli breathed in, as Eli closed his eyes. They exhaled. Eli touched the tree again. "It was dark. It was dark, and my parents were arguing." Eli said. "The more small details you can recall, the easier it'll be for you to remember the big things." Russ explained. "Well... I had ice cream. My face was all sticky, and so were the sleeves of my shirt." Eli continued explaining his memory. "Okay. That's good. Let's stay with the ice cream. Eli, think about the flavor. The scent." Matty encouraged Eli. "It was strawberry. Strawberry ice cream from this place with a black-and-white sign. I loved it there cause you could hear the train whistle." Eli went on. "A train whistle. Okay. Good. Think about outside the ice cream parlor." Matty still went on. "I wanted to go back to a yellow brick building. Cause it was safe there. But my mom said no, and we got in the car." Eli paused for a while, remembering. He then shot open his eyes and looked at Mason. "You. You were the one chasing us. You're the reason my parents are dead." Eli revealed, getting upset as the trio looked on. "I'm the reason you're still alive, kid." Mason said. Eli went after Mason, but Russ held him back. "No, it was you!" Eli exclaimed, grunting trying to escape. "Listen to me. Listen to me. Yeah, I was there! Yes. Yes, I was there. I was alone without backup. Joshua was following one lead. I was following the other. By the time I got here, your parents were already dead. I had one split-second decision to make: save you or chase that SUV." Mason tried explaining, looking Eli in the eye. "No, no, you're lying. You're lying!" Eli exclaimed, not buying what Mason was telling him. "Save... save you or chase that SUV." Mason tried explaining again. "Shut up! You're a liar!" Eli yelled. "Let him go." Mason said as Russ let Eli go and he ran off beside the SUV. Not that Mariah blamed him for lashing out. "Riley, get me every ice cream parlor between the family's permanent residence in Pinecliff and this location." Matty ordered Riley on the phone. "He said he'd been to that ice cream parlor several times." Russ added. "Copy that." Riley said, going silent. "Eli said he wanted to go back to the yellow brick building. That's a place where he felt safe during the chaos. That must've been where the family was hiding out during this ordeal." Matty realized. "Okay, adding to the search. Hostels, motels, apartment buildings with a yellow brick exterior, located near an ice cream parlor within driving range." Riley took a second to find it. "Got it. They must have been at the Pinecliff Road Apartments. The building's closed now. It's being refitted for condos. Located near a creamery that's since been closed down half a mile from a train station." Riley reported. "Well, I'll be damned. After 12 years, this kid is gonna get to finally close the book." Mason said, relieved. "Yes, he will." Matty said. "Let's go tell him." Mason said. They walked back to the SUV and realized that Eli wasn't there. "Eli?" Mason called out. The team looked around as Mason opened the doors to the SUV. "Dammit, he's gone." Mariah realized, not happy. Mason went in to the woods beside the road and called out again. Mason came running back to the SUV. "They got him. Let's go." Mason said.

They piled into the SUV and drove off to the location Riley sent them. Riley did surveillance as they arrived at the complex. Guns were ready as the group walked to the entrance of the building. "Security camera across the street gives me movement on the third floor." Riley reported. They went up to the third floor and looked around. "Question is, which one? Can't just start banging on doors." Russ pointed out, shining his flashlight in the hallway. "Hey. Somebody spilled some varnish. I need your light." Mason said. Mariah shined the flashlight on the varnish and noticed what Mason was on about. "Good boy." Mason complimented Eli. Mariah realized Eli knocked over the can of varnish and got it on his shoes to lead them to the correct room. Mason whispered, "door." signaling to the trio the door they were at was the right one. Mason and Russ positioned themselves on each side of the door, with Mariah on Russ's side. Mason gave the signal and opened the door, turning in and pointing their guns as Matty walked underneath them, then Mariah, Mason, then Russ shut the door quietly. Mason took cover behind a wall, Mariah behind him.

They were joined in the living room and there was shouting and grunting as an older guy held Eli hostage, who was shouting and grunting. Mariah, Russ, and Mason drew their guns. Another man in a suit came out. Mason kept switching his aim to the older guy and the younger guy. Mariah was trained on the younger guy and Russ on the older guy. "Somebody forgot to check their blind spot." The older guy said. "Joshua." Mason said, revealing who the guy was. His old partner. "You know me well enough, partner, to know I'm not bluffing. Nobody gets out of here alive until I get that burner phone." Joshua said to Mason. He recocked his gun and aimed it at Eli's neck, who was down on his knees. "So, where is it, kid?" Joshua asked Eli. Everyone tried to remain calm. "I walk out of here with the burner phone, and you can have the kid." Joshua laid out the terms. "That kid does not remember where the burner phone is, Joshua." Mason tried to explain. "Well, he better think real hard." Joshua said, aiming the gun on Eli's head. "I'll trade you. The kid for me." Mason said. Mariah caught Matty signaling Eli to breathe and do what they did back at the place Eli's parents were murdered. Mariah covered for them. "What am I suppose to do with you?" Joshua asked. "Bring me in. I'm a wanted man. You'll be a hero. Me for the kid. Come on." Mason argued. Mariah caught Eli remembering. His eyes darted to a section of trim on the bottom of a wall nearby. "After all these years, you still think you're the smartest one in the room?" Joshua questioned Mason. Russ eyed Mariah and darted his eyes to the light above Joshua. "I made you an offer, Joshua. You're in charge here." Mason said. Mariah signaled Russ to put his plan in motion. "Eli, get down!" Russ ordered as he shot the light, Mariah shot the young guy as Mason shot Joshua. Eli elbowed Joshua and ran to the place he pointed to and grabbed the burner phone. Joshua was about to shoot Eli, but Mason got in front and took a couple of shots to the chest as Russ went over and hit Joshua in the neck, knocking him down. Mason was groaning on the floor. "Hey, hey, hey!" Eli exclaimed, panicking. Mariah put her gun away and went over to Mason and got on the ground, looking for an exit wound. Eli was still freaking out. "Is he dead?" Eli asked. Mason groaned and strained, sitting up as Mariah noticed there was no blood. "I'm all right, kid." Mason assured Eli as he grabbed his gun and Mariah stood up, realizing what Mason did. Mason slowly got up. He took off his velcro bulletproof vest that had the FBI logo on it. "Yeah." Mason said, still recovering. Mason threw the vest down. "You got what you want." Mason said, leaving. "Mason. Thank you." Mariah said to Mason. Mason didn't say anything and left.

The trio left and dealt with the cleanup. They drove Eli home and answered his questions. Eli got out and went to the driver's side window. "One more thing. Can I have my own office?" Eli asked. Russ smiled at Mariah and Matty. "You'll be in the lab with everybody else." Matty answered. "It's a very, very nice lab." Russ said. "Yeah. Bozer, our lab guy, would show you around and help you out." Mariah filled in. "But don't ask about the salary because it's terrible." Russ told Eli. "What about Mason? He just disappeared before I could even say thank you." Eli said, feeling bad. "Mason isn't exactly in the FBI's good graces. But he did give me this." Matty said, grabbing a phone out of her pocket and handing it to Russ. "When your parents were on the run, they loaded their burner phone with everything valuable to them, from encrypted communication with a Chinese mole to photos of their one and only son." Matty explained as Eli looked through the phone Russ had handed him, getting a bit emotional. He handed it back to Russ. "Thanks." Eli said as Russ handed the phone to Matty. He saluted the trio goodbye and Russ saluted back, and Mariah waved with a smile. "So, that lad is our future at the Phoenix, is he?" Russ asked. Mariah smiled. "Our?" Matty questioned. Mariah chuckled and Russ looked back at Mariah. "Oh, whatever." Russ said, realizing what he meant as he put the car in drive.

They went back to the Phoenix, where Mariah got filled in by Mac of his meeting with Desi's parents, which involved a fight and a murder investigation to save Desi's brother and parents. While it was a crazy experience, it was nice to help a kid get some closure.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Now, the episodic chapter review!
> 
> I actually liked that this chapter let Desi get some development outside of her relationship with Mac. I am also glad that Russ and Matty got out in the field again. I am also utterly terrified for the next episode. I saw in the synopsis I freaked out!
> 
> I hope you enjoyed this chapter! If you enjoyed this chapter, make sure to give and share this story with your friends! Much love to you all! Stay safe!   
> Kaylee


	5. Jack + Kinematics + Safe Cracker + MgKNO3 + GTO (5x5)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Mac gets a postcard from a fallen friend, he recruits the team to follow the trail of breadcrumbs he left leading to the terrorist he was hunting, who killed him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Whew, this episode was definitely very interesting. I know this should be obvious by now, but just as a reminder...  
> Spoilers!
> 
> Here we go with episode 5 of season 5!

The call Mariah got was a call no one should get. Mac called, saying his best friend, partner, brother in arms, and confidant, Jack Dalton, had died. Unfortunately, Mac had yet to get the full story on what happened. All Mariah knew was that Jack had left to join a task force to take down Tiberius Kovac, a terrorist responsible for a lot of deaths. That was why Desi joined the team, as a favor for Jack. It had been over a year since he first left. And now he was never returning. The day the army was bringing Jack's body back, Mariah grabbed the blue army uniform she had. God, she hated wearing it. She wore it one time too many. Mariah hated wearing it, cause it meant another brother or sister or person in arms died. She wouldn't admit it, but she got emotional looking at the uniform in her closet. She fingered the fabric, remembering all the funerals she's been to. Russ walked in, wearing his black tusk he looked dashing in. Except Mariah could hardly fake a smile when she saw him. Russ just held Mariah, letting her cry on his shoulder. Crying for the fallen, hurting for the families of everyone she lost. The ironic thing was that Mariah never met Jack. Not once. But he was a brother in arms. And her team was his family. 

So, she composed herself and got in the car, and drove to the hanger. Mac and Desi were wearing the same soldier's uniform as Mariah. Russ, Riley, Matty, Bozer, and Mariah were with the civilians. The soldiers saluted as the coffin draped in the American flag the taken off the plane by soldiers. Mariah could tell everyone was emotional. Once the remains were off the plane and into the herse, the soldiers stopped saluting. Lt. Ray Walker walked up to Mac, handing him Jack's dog tags. 

After the remains were escorted to the cemetery, Mac decided to hold a wake for Jack at his place. Mariah was sitting on Russ's lap, talking with Matty. Mariah saw Desi and Bozer talking at the table, getting the beer set up. Desi and Bozer talked some about their grieving processes. Then Desi walked over with a couple of beers from Russ, Mariah, and Matty, and one for herself. They thanked Desi. "Honestly, I, um... I never knew the man, but from what I hear, his presents spoke volumes." Russ said as everyone was getting their beers open and taking sips. "After all the ops, all the missions, all... the close quarters we shared -- some were way too close -- nobody knows better than me how his presence could linger." Matty said, thinking of Jack as Maiariah, Russ, and Desi laughed. They continued talking as Mac went to talk to Walker. Mariah also caught Riley leaving while getting snacks. Riley was crying, obviously upset about Jack dying. The wake, actually more like a party, finished and everyone went home. Mariah changed out of her uniform and grabbed a glass of wine to wind down, imagining what it would have been like to meet Jack Dalton. Russ provided the emotional support Mariah needed, then they went to bed.

The next morning, Mariah and Russ went to the Phoenix, like normal. They had given Mac and Riley the day off to recover. Matty then called the team into the war room, as Mac had something. The team gathered around as Matty pulled up the postcard that Mac had gotten in the mail. "Come see the wilderness of mirrors." Bozer quoted the back of the postcard, which not only had Mac's address on it, but it was signed by Ozzy Ulrich, and the front had a picture of Zagreb. "That is a reference to "Gerontion". It is a poem by T.S Eliot." Russ explained. "Then are we sure it came from Jack?" Bozer asked. "Ozzy Ulrich is a cover Jack used on ops we ran together -- he knew I'd recognize the name, and Mac would, too." Matty explained. "Yeah. It's definitely his handwriting." Mac pointed out. "He must have arranged for the postcard to be delivered in the event of his death." Riley realized. "Do we know who mailed it?" Desi asked. "Not yet. What's more, I checked the files on his Kovac operation -- there is no mention of Ulrich." Matty added. "So Jack revived an old alias and kept it off the books. Why?" Desi observed. "Wilderness of mirrors -- that is a counterintelligence reference to deception." Russ pointed out, looking at Mariah. "Jack must've thought something wasn't kosher with the op. I mean, it's what I would do." Mariah pointed out. "And he tried to reach out to me a week before the raid and... wanted to tell me something, but... I missed his calls." Mac added, feeling guilty. "I did some digging, and I discovered digital footprints belonging to an Ozzy Ulrich. Leads to an address in Zagreb." Riley explained. "Ooh, a trail of bread crumbs leading to Croatia." Russ realized. "But why? The raid on the compound killed Kovac, the mission's been completed, and his unit disbanded." Desi added. "There's more to this than meets the eye." Riley pointed out. "Exactly. Jack created a fail-safe, and he wanted us to find it, the people he trusted most. Matty, we need to figure out what Ozzy Ulrich was up to." Mac said, trying to convince Matty to let them investigate, though she didn't need convincing. 

The team left and was on the plane to Croatia. Bozer was sitting in the back of the seated part of the plane, Mac was on the couch, Riley was across from him, and Mariah was ahead as Russ made some phone calls. It was obvious that Mac, Riley, and Bozer were emotional, still dealing with Jack's death. Desi was standing up but walked over to Mac and sat down. "How you holding up?" Desi asked Mac. Mac took a breath in. "Yeah, I'm good. I'm just focused on the mission." Mac said. Desi wasn't buying that Mac was okay, and neither was Mariah. "Jack plucked me out of Ranger school for a special op. And I thought it was because he saw how badass I was, but... really, he just needed a linguist who spoke Vietnamese." Desi said, causing a chuckle from the duo. "And even though I was green... he still showed me the same respect he showed every other soldier in the unit. In return, I swore to work harder than everyone else... so that I could have his back." Desi explained, seemingly revealing her deal with Jack. "Yeah. We all wish we could have been there for him." Mac said. "And we can choose how much we're gonna beat ourselves up over it, but I don't think that's..." Desi explained when Russ walked in. "Right. Uh, the address in Zagreb is an apartment. The landlord I.D'd Jack from a picture I sent. Said that Ozzy Ulrich rented it three months ago, paid a year in advance, asked the landlord to mail the postcard if he didn't return by a certain date." Russ explained. "So the apartment's exactly as he left it?" Mac questioned. "Yes. And 100 dollars via Venmo has a key waiting for us." Russ continued explaining. 

They arrived in Zagreb and geared up. They rented a car to get them to the apartment and were guns drawn going in. Well, Desi, Russ, and Mariah were. The room was very minimal, with no lived-in furniture, just a desk, some plants, a lamp, and kitchen appliances. Mac turned on the lights as Mariah, Russ, and Desi cleared it. Desi went back into the bathroom and reported it was clear as Russ and Mariah put their guns away, looking around. "There's nothing personal in here. Jack set this place up as a safe house." Mac said. "If Jack wanted us to come here, he left something for us to find." Riley said. The team looked around, with Desi looking at the back of the room, Bozer checking a painting, Riley drawers, and Mac a closet. He opened the door to search through, but just as Mac poked his head out, Mariah saw a picture of the Eye of Horus inside a triangle on the inside of the closet door. "Mac. Closet door." Mariah pointed out. Mac looked at the picture and lifted it, revealing nothing underneath it. The team stood back up and looked at the picture. The trio of Mac, Riley, and Bozer all realized what it meant. "Cairo." They said at the same time. "What just happened?" Russ asked, coming joining the group. "Mac and Jack almost died on a mission in Cairo." Desi explained. "The op went so wrong, they never talked about it again." Riley explained. "It haunted Jack so bad, he wouldn't even fly over Egypt." Bozer added. "So there's no way there'd be an Eye of Horus in this apartment unless it was a message to me." Mac finished. "That's why we're here." Russ said. "Wait, the Eye of Horus represents healing, protection, and restoration in Egyptian mythology. In the story, Horus, the sky god, lost his left eye to his uncle Set, a trickster god. That left eye is the Eye of Horus. Unless Jack knew Egyptian mythology, I think it's time you told us what the hell happened in Cairo." Mariah pointed out. The team gave her looks. "I'm a mythology lover, okay. Not important." Mariah looked back at her team, then to Mac sternly. "Mac, what the hell happened in Cairo?" Mariah reiterated. "Jack and I spent six hours together stuck in a sarcophagus. And that sarcophagus was originally hidden in a pyramid behind a false wall." Mac explained. "So maybe there's a false wall in this apartment?" Bozer questioned. Mac looked behind the closet door as the team looked around. Mariah looked at the image again, realizing the connection. "Mac. That's the Eye of Ra, not the Eye of Horus. The Eye of Ra is the right eye, Eye of Horus is the left eye. In one version of the myth, the Eye of Ra is used to seek information and used to hand out vengeance and justice. It's also confused with the Eye of Horus and Providence as the all-seeing eye of God." Mariah realized. Mac got the idea and stood where the eye was and saw the reflection in the mirror, which showed a red chair in the corner. "Wilderness of mirrors." Mariah realized, as Mac helped Desi flip the chair over and Mac went to grab a small microwave. "So this is when you turn the microwave into an x-ray machine, is it?" Russ asked. "Think we can skip that step." Mac said as he walked over to the wall where the chair was and started smashing the wall, nearly hitting Desi as the drywall crumbled, revealing a safe. Mac put the microwave down and removed some of the debris. "Oh. Well done." Russ said, walking over to the safe as Mac put the microwave away. "Now I suppose a bit of social engineering, um, to deduce the combination from the people who knew Jack best." Russ turned to the trio. "What are the, uh, significant events, dates in his life?" Russ asked the group. "The last time the Cowboys won the Super Bowl?" Desi suggested. "The first day he saw _Star Wars._ No, no, no. _Die Hard_." Bozer suggested. "Bruce Willis's birthday." Riley suggested. "Bingo." Bozer and Desi pointed all Riley in agreement. Just then, Mac walked over to the fridge. "Jack would have also known that I can get in without the combination." Mac said. Mac grabbed the Freon cannisters and Russ had the team move back as Mac used the cannisters to break off the dial, leaving a perfect hole for Mac to pump the door full of Freon, freezing it and breaking the tumblers by hitting it a few times, then opening it. "There seemed to be nothing in the safe. "It's empty?" Bozer asked. "No. There's something here. A picture." Mac said, closing the safe. He turned and showed the team the picture. The picture was a surveillance photo of a foreign man. "Well, this isn't Tiberius Kovac. Can any put a name to the face?" Mac asked, cueing up Riley. Riley grabbed the photo and took a picture of it, then sat her laptop on the drawer and powered it up, pulling up the image she took and running it through facial recognition. "All right, this might take a minute." Riley said as Russ and Mariah walked over. Not even a second later, Riley got a hit. "Or not. Tibor Babic. Medium-level local smuggler." Riley reported. "Any connection to Jack or Kovac?" Desi asked. "Not on his criminal file." Riley reported. "Matilda? Are you getting all this?" Russ got on comms. "I am. I'll circle back with U.S Intelligence, as well as Ray Walker, see if there's any further intel." Matty reported from home base. "Thanks Matty." Mariah acknowledged. "Jack wanted this guy on our radar. Now how do we find him?" Desi asked. Just as Mariah was about to answer, a blond woman with a Croation accent and her goons bust through the door, ordering the team to see their hands as Desi and Mariah drew their guns as the rest of the team put their hands up. "Uh, Des, Mariah, relax. They're Interpol." Mac informed Desi and Mariah, putting Desi's hand down. Russ put Mariah's hand down. "Oh. Very observant." The blonde woman said, her guns still trained on the team. "Why the, uh... the warm welcome, Agent...?" Russ took a couple steps forwards, his hands up. "Anya Vitez. Head of Interpol's anti-terror unit." The blonde woman now known as Vitez introduced herself, putting her gun down. "Do you introduce yourself to everybody this way?" Bozer asked. "No, but when the notorious Russ Taylor comes to Croatia, and... his motives..." Vitez noticed Riley's laptop. "Are not... clear... I wonder what he's doing on my turf." Vitez said, grabbing the photo Riley propped up on her laptop. "Well, that, my newfound friend, is a very interesting story." Russ said, putting his hands down, causing the others to put their hands down. "Tell it when we get to Interpol. Let's go." Vitez ordered. 

The team got in their vehicles and started following Vitez's cars to Interpol. "Seriously, babe, even in Croatia you're a scoundrel." Mariah commented, amused by the introduction. "Well, what can you say, darling, I'm the life of the party." Russ retorted. The team chuckled as they met Vitez at Interpol. 

She escorrted them to a room for a briefing. "Okay. What are you lot doing in Croatia?" Vitez got down to it. Mac placed the photo from the safe on the table as Mariah recapped the story. "We're here following a lead on Tiberius Kovac. Our friend, Jack Dalton, was a part of a unit to take him down. He died in the blast that killed Kovac. Yesterday, Mac here got a postcard from Jack. We followed his breadcrumbs to the apartment, and he found that photo in the safe." Mariah summed up the story. "And you think Dalton leaving you this picture of Tibor Babic is somehow connected to the dead terrorist Kovac?" Vitez questioned. "Well, we haven't been on the ground long enough to where the trail leads." Mac explained. "So, Agent Vitez, we'll be on our way, and, um, we'll keep you updated." Russ said. "Slow down. I think you... hold out because... you do not trust me." Vitez said. "We don't know you." Riley said. "I, um... I got to know Jack a bit over the last year." Vitez explained. "In a good way? Cause with Jack, sometimes it took a while to appreciate his... Jackness." Bozer asked. Vitez chuckled. "We called him _Cuvar Stada_." Vitez said. "Cowboy?" Desi figured out. "Yeah. And more. Keeper of the flock, protector. You were once his flock, too, yeah?" Vitez said. "Family. We were his family." Riley said, very bluntly, and trying to hold back. "And I can help you if you will let me. I know where to find this smuggler. So, I'll come with you. I owe it to Jack." Vitez offered. The team reluctantly agreed and they left Interpol. 

They got back in the cars and went to a restaurant supply warehouse. Desi, Russ, Mariah, and Vitez all had their guns up as they entered the storage room, which was huge. Desi went up the steps, Mariah and Russ followed Vitez into the aisles. Bozer, Mac, and Riley followed Desi. "What kind of restaurant serves Fitbits on the side?" Bozer asked. "Yeah, this place must be a front for Tibor's smuggling operation." Riley said. Mariah, Russ, and Vitez were clearing the aisles. "He's here." Mac reported. Just then there was a thud and Tibor ran past Mariah. She chased after Tibor, running through the aisles until finally, Riley knocked him down with a bag. 

Mariah used some binding she found to bring Tibor into a more open space and tied him to a chair. Mariah stepped back as Russ went to grab a pair of white shades. "The name Jack Dalton ring a bell?" Mariah asked Tibor. "No." Tibor answered plainly, his Croation accent coming through. "You've never heard of Jack Dalton?" Desi asked. Russ put on the white shades. "Mmm. Nice look, babe." Mariah complimented Russ. "Thank you Darling." Russ smiled as his wife. "How about Ozzie Ulrich?" Russ asked. "My business is customer service. It's my nature to help." Tibor laughed, as Russ grabbed a bottle of red wine. Mariah looked at it as well. "But I cannot tell you what I do not know." Tibor explained. "Ah. Thank you. Running made me thirsty, huh?" Tibor said, thinking the wine was for him. Russ held up the bottle and let go, shattering the bottle and spilling wine everywhere. Tibor gasped and groaned. "That's a '99 Frankovka. 400 a bottle!" Tibor said. Mariah grabbed another bottle and held it as Russ moved his shades up. "You know, this stash house -- you have lots of very, very expensive, beautiful items." Russ said, taunting Tibor. Mariah held the bottle up, almost daring Tibor. "You know, I get very pissed -- WHEN SOMEONE"S HOLDING OUT ON ME!" Mariah taunted Tibor more, droping the bottle. "Oh, no." Tibot muttered, scared. "We are seriously in the mood to break things!" Desi exclaimed, looking at Tibor as Russ and Mariah broke an entire box of wine, it seeping on to the floor, causing Tibor to groan again. "I swear on the lives of my children, I did not know this Dalton man!" Tibor exclaimed, shaking in the chair. "You are on foreign soil. The tools at your disposal are limited. Perhaps I can take this man somewhere where I can question him with more... enhanced methods." Vitez offered, threatening Tibor from behind him as Mac grabbed a watch and went back. "Agent Vitez, before we do that, would you mind giving him on last chance? I think I can build a rudimentary lie detector." Mac said, the team looking at him, including Tibor. "You can?" Vitez asked. "Yeah. It's all about measuring blood pressure, heart rate, and breathing, and all three of those things are in this tiny little watch." Mac explained, already using his swiss army knife to take apart the watch. "Is your name MacGyver?" Tibor asked Mac. Mac looked at Tibor, intrigued. "How do you know that?" Mac asked. Tibor then got excited, turninghis body to face Mac. "Hey man." Tibor went to shake Mac's hand, but got shoved back in his seat by Mariah and Desi and Bozer. "Jack Dalton and I were BFFs!" Tibor exclaimed. "Really? Because you just swore on the lives of your children that you didn't know the man." Mac questioned, putting the watch aside. "I have no children. Hey, Jack talked about you all the time, man. You're the one that makes things out of other things?" Tibor explained. Riley leaned in to Tibor. "Obviously. What else you got?" Riley questioned, standing back up. "Jack wanted me to send over five cases of cell phone as joke." Tibor said. "I'm starting to believe." Bozer pointed out. "Okay, Tibor. Why did Jack want us to find you?" Mac asked. "Well, we did conspire to take down Tiberius Kovac." Tibor revealed. Russ grabbed Tibors shoulder and turned Tibor to face him. "You and Jack working together?" Russ asked, wondering if this was true. "Yeah, he came to me because I've done a little business with Kovac. You know how it is." Tibor revealed. Vitez walked over to where Russ and Mairah were standing. "Are you admitting to selling stolen goods to a terrorist?" Vitez asked Tibor. "Hey, you wanted honesty. Don't punish me for it." Tibor scoffed as he turned back to Mac. "Understand. I've never met Kovac face-to-face. We use cut-outs, dead drops. I didn't even know it was him in the beginning. But then, when I realized whose money I was taking, I knew I was trapped." Tibor revealed. "What exactly did you and Jack do against Kovac?" Mariah asked Tibor. "We planted a bug in a shipment of radio equipment that I sold to Kovac." Tibor explained. "That's how Jack found the compound." Mac realized. Tibor went to wheel over to Mac, but Desi stopped him. ""Please," Jack said, "Help me take this awful man down, and I will wipe your slate clean." But now Jack is dead, and Kovac may soon kill me, too." Tibor revealed, causing the team to perk up. "Why... why would you say that?" Russ asked. "Kovac blew himself up in the raid." Desi said. "Yeah, that's what I thought. But dead men don't need high credit scores and clean driving records. Kovac reached out to me. He wanted papers and passport for new identities. If I say no, he gets mad, and he kills me. If I say yes, he takes the paper and... kills me to keep his secret safe." Tibor explained. This was definitely not good. "The raid was a setup." Riley pointed out. "Kovac faked his death so the law would stop looking for him." Bozer explained. "And the bastard who killed Jack is still alive." Mac said, obviously not happen. "Son of a bitch. This just got a whole hell of a lot more complicated." Mariah muttered. 

Russ filled in Matty on what they learned as they stored him in an office at Interpol, still tied up and gathered at a nearby table to discuss next steps. "Okay, guys, the hunt for Tiberius Kovac is now an active op, and we are running point." Matty reported on the laptop, in the war room and guys behind her. "How did the ground team at Kovac's compound miss this?" Mac asked. "Undetermined. And in the aftermath, there were all the usual conspiracy theories that he was still alive, just like bin Laden, but now with Tibor's information, we have to assume the rumors are true and act like the world's most deadly terrorist is on the loose." Matty said. "Which means Jack died for..." Riley was upset, but Mac cut her off. "No, don't say it. What it means is that we need to finish his mission. That's all." Mac said, keeping Riley from spiraling. "I'll keep digging on my end. Keep me posted." Matty said, going off comms. "Here's what's bugging me. Why didn't Jack share the intel with his unit?" Desi asked. "Right? He didn't tell Walker about his connection to Tibor or how he used a smuggler to locate Kovac's compound." Bozer pointed out. "Operational security. He must have figured that there was a leak." Mac explained. "In the wilderness of mirrors, Jack didn't know who to trust." Russ realized. "That explains the backup plan to alert Mac." Mariah realized. "Which makes me wonder just how much we can trust Tibor." Riley pointed out. "How about zero? Zilch, zip, nada. That kind of guy's always gonna play both sides." Bozer had a point. "For all we know, he set Jack up." Riley added. "I think the safe bet is to not trust Tibor. But that doesn't mean we can't use him." Mariah pointed out. "I say we have Tibor demand a face-to-face meeting with Kovac to exchange cash for the passports that Kovac wanted." Mac suggested. "Won't Kovac just use that meeting to ambush and kill Tibor?" Desi questioned. "That's exactly what I'm counting on." Mac said. 

Mac got a plan together and the team drove to a warehouse to set a meet. Mariah, Russ, Mac, and Vitez were just out of site, keeping an eye on Desi and Tibor, who pulled in. Riley and Bozer were up above. Desi and Tibor got out of the car. "Sitting Duck One in position." Desi reported. "Not sure how I feel about that code name." Mac said, a bit nervous. "Stand where I am, and you can pick your own." Desi retorted, worried. "All right, everyone. Just, breathe." Mariah said, trying to calm everyone down. "Riley, Bozer, how does it look from the crow's nest?" Russ asked the duo. "Vehicle approaching." Bozer reported. Mariah could hear the engine from inside. "Tibor's blind date just arrived." Riley reported. The car pulled in, and the Mariah, Mac, and Russ ducked down. "Windows are tinted. I can't get a read on who's inside." Desi reported. "Well, it could be Kovac, or it could be a death squad. If it's the latter, we need to take a prisoner to get a lead on Kovac." Russ said. No one came out of the car. "What is taking them so long?" Russ asked. "I'm gonna get a closer look." Mac said. He moved discreetly and made it beside an engine. "I don't see a driver." Mac reported. "What, the car just drove itself?" Desi questioned. "Get down!" Mac yelled, causing Russ to pull Mariah down as the car exploded. "Two SUVs inbound from the east." Riley reported. The SUVs crashed through where the car had been and the trio who had guns fired at them as Mac moved and grabbed piped and ball being and made a machine gun. "Mac, we need one alive." Mariah ordered Mac as the goons started leaving, leaving one goon Mac hit behind. Once the SUVs left, they approached the downed goon, guns drawn on him. Desi grabbed his gun, and Mariah mad sure he didn't have anything else on him. Vitez got them a safe house as they loaded up the prisoner. 

Vitez took the goon inside first as the rest of the trio made sure to do one final check of the building. When they walked inside with Tibor, Vitez was handcuffing the goon against a radiator. Mariah ordered Tibor to sit, and he did, ad Vitez walked up to them. "Thanks for the safehouse." Mac said to Vitez. "Yeah, of course. I just hope this man can help lead us to Kovac." Vitez said, looking at the out goon. "It'll be better for him if he does." Mac said. He sat down on the couch, along with Vitez. "So, how do we get to America, huh? Military plane or we, uh... fly private?" Tibor clicked his tongue, thinking he was done. Mariah scoffed at him. "What makes you think you're coming home with us? That was not the deal." Bozer asked. "My business is finished. I am finished." Tibor tried to argue. "Not our problem." Desi said plainly. Tibor looked around, clearly seeing the team wasn't gonna listen. Tibor tried to stand up, but Mariah grabbed him, warning him to not try anything. "MacGyver. Mac. Hey, you must honor Jack's promise, huh?" Tibor questioned. "If you help us find Kovac, you have nothing to worry about." Mac pointed out. "Well, that's a big if. You know, considering the man has no much trouble dying." Tibor argued. "We'll make sure this time. Trust me." Mariah threatened, knowing Tibor didn't have much choice in the matter. Tibor looked at everyone and saw he wasn't getting anywhere. "Ok. You leave me no choice but to use my ace in my hole." Tibor said, sitting down, causing Mariah to groan. "That is not how that goes." Bozer pointed out, sitting as well. "So you've been holding out on us?" Russ asked, walking up to him. "Only a little. There's one more thing that Jack asked me to tell MacGyver, and I've been saving it for just this occasion." Tibor revealed. "Intel isn't a fine wine." Desi said, getting in Tibor's face. "Actually more like cheese. It doesn't get better with age." Mariah pointed out. "Do I get ticket to America?" Tibor asked, scared of Desi and Mariah. "Information first." Mac said. Tibor thought of the deal. "Jack said to remind you of your anniversary." Tibor said, causing the team to give looks. "The hell is a manniversary?" Mariah asked as Mac stood up, thinking. "It was this thing Jack made up for him and Mac to... we'll talk later." Bozer said, realizing he was about to say too much. "Oh boy." Mariah muttered. "I don't get the reference. I mean the last one didn't go so well." Mac said. "I don't know. He said you went to hotel in Vegas with that giant aquarium and the, uh... what do you call, uh... uh, talking dummy!" Tibor finally got out. "Yeah, I remember the fish tank that Jack thought had piranhas in it, and I'll never forget the ventriloquist act he made me sit through -- twice." Mac said, trying to think of the connection. "What could this possibly have to do with Kovac?" Vitez asked. "Jack was many things. Sophisticated was not one of them." Desi pointed out. "Yeah." Tibor agreed. "Right about that." Mac said. Tibor looked forward, getting the glare from Desi. Mac realized what it was. "Wait, you're right. At face value, he's reminding me of The Mirage. Riley, can you cross reference all of the info we have on Kovac with physical location? See if there's a pattern." Mac asked Riley, who was sitting on a chair. She looked it up. "No. Every piece of data leads to a digital dead end with no real-world connection. Even the photo we have of Kovac -- it matched a stock photo from a defunct website." Riley reported as Vitez looked at the computer. "How can that be possible?" Russ asked Riley. "Because Kovac is a mirage." Mac realized. "Uh, I am confused." Vitez said, indeed confused. "I think what Jack suspected, what he's been trying to lead us to, is that Kovac isn't a real person." Mac explained. "Okay, I'm not following. Someone had to commit those acts of terror." Desi pointed out. "Well, sure. But the Kovac that appears on TV, it's just an online persona used to hide from law enforcement." Mac explained more. "So there's no Kovac?" Russ asked. "He's like the Wizard of Oz. Someone's behind the curtain." Bozer pointed out. "It would explain how this terrorist was able to evade Jack and his unit for so long." Mac realized. "So, how do we catch Jack's killer when we're chasing someone that doesn't exist?" Riley asked. "We peel back the curtain." Mariah said.

Desi grabbed Tibor and stuffed him in a closet, arguing with Desi. "Okay, if Jack suspected a leak, he would've been close to figuring out who was behind Oz's curtain, even if he didn't know exactly it was." Mac said. "Well, let's hope our unconscious guest has answers." Russ said. "He's been asleep long enough." Desi said, walking to the goon and slapping him awake. "You're gonna tell me everything you know about Tiberius Kovac." Desi told him. The guy was just groaning. Just then, a gunshot rang out. Russ called out the sniper and got Mariah, who pulled out her gun along with Russ, and Bozer down as Vitez went to cover with Desi behind a couch, pointing their guns at the window. Mac also got down. Mac sighed, haven gotten behind a chair. "He's dead. We just lost our only lead." Mac reported. "Then we need to get the shooter." Desi said. "How can we do that? He could be half a mile away from here." Russ said. "Jack was a sniper. He taught me everything he knew." Mac said, moving to get the information to get the location of the shooter. "Six floors up, three blocks away!" Mac reported, getting up and running out the door along with Russ, Mariah, and Desi, guns away for the time being.Vitez spoke Croatian on her comm. Tibor got out of the closet and asked was happening andgot down. "Okay, so this safehouse is not so safe anymore. My guys are coming." Vitez said. "Hey, hey, hey, take me with you!" Tibor exclaimed. "I'm not leaving yet." Riley said, adimant. "What? Why not?This seems like a great time to go." Bozer questioned. "Just because he can't talk doesn't mean he can't tell us something." Riley said. "If you stay, I can't protect you." Vitez said. "Bozer, can you get me a piece of paper?" Riley ordered Bozer. Bozer agreed. Riley thanked him and Bozer started groaning. Then Riley got an I.D going as Mac, Desi, Mariah, and Russ were running around the building Mac said the sniper came from, coming around a corner. "That's where the sniper set up his hide. He's got to be on the run by now." Mac said, slowing down to look, pointing at the building. Just then, Russ spotted the shooter." That's out shooter." Russ said, pointing out a guy in black with a bag. Mac spotted a cleaning lady coming from the building. "Or a decoy." Mac said. They ran over and the poor woman gasped as Mac pulled out a sniper rifle from the trash. Mariah calmed her down. "It's okay. Her fear is real. The shoot just put his rifle in her cart." Russ said. Mac put the gun back and saw another guy in green. He started bolting, so the group ran after him. This guy was like a ninja. Soon, they lost him in a series off alleys. Desi pulled her gun up. "I'll check out the alley." Desi said. "I'll check too." Mariah said. Her and Desi walked down the alley as Russ and Mac left. The ladies inched their way down until Desi went to check behind a dumspter and nearly got slashed. She expertly dodged the knife slashed and Mariah used Desi's distraction to attacking and dodging and kicked the guy in the knee, letting his knee down as Desi spun him into a wall, then Mariah disarmed the knife and Desi spun him again against a pallet, and the duo punched him at the same time in the face, knocking him out as Russ and Mac came down opposite ends of the alley. "Nice of you to show up." Desi quipped, getting up as her and Mariah was catching her breath. Mac patted him down as Desi and Mariah grabbed their guns. Mac sighed. "No wallet. No cell phone. Nothing. Back to square one." Mac reported, getting irritated. Desi squatted down where the knife was and picked it up. "This is an Argus. Croation made." Desi reported, standing up. "It's a favorite of the Croatian Special Forces." Desi said, handing the knife to Russ. "Well, if he's special forces turned mercenary for Kovac, he'll have been scrubbed from all the usual databases but not from their special ops file." Russ said, cueing up Riley. He bent down and held open the eye and took a picture. "Riley. Ehance this retina from this pic I'm sending you. See if there's any matched in the Croatian military." Russ said, standing back up and putting his phone back. "I'm on it." Riley said. "The gunman we grabbed earlier is named Josip Gergic. Bosnian Mafia." Bozer reported. "Get this. He's also listed as a confidential informant for Interpol's anti-terror unit." Riley reported, confusing the group on the ground. "Got a hit on your shooter. He's active military. Currently assigned to the same unit." Bozer reported. "Vitez runs that group. She knows these two men." Desi realized. "She knew all of Jack's plans." Mac realized, putting the pieces together. "Get out of there!" Mariah yelled into her comm, but it was too late as Mariah heard guns cocking. "You're Kovac." Riley said. "Yeah. And you people are too damn curious." Vitez came over comms, confirming the suspition. They all started running. "Riley, Bozer, buy time. We're on our way!" Mac yelled as they ran to the building.

By the time the gang to the room, it was empty. "Guys I can't reach Riley and Bozer on comms, and there's no signal for their cell phones, either." Matty reported. There was blood on the floor. Mac bent down to look at it. "This isn't good." Desi said. "I'd say it was a single shot, based on volume and spread pattern." Mariah filled in, trying to keep calm. "Looks like someone's hurt, but hopefully not dead. Yet." Russ filled it. "Matty, Vitez has them." Mac reported. Matty went silent to get a report about Riley's comm. "Attagirl, Riley. Way to send up a flare. Mac, I'm sending you coordinates for their location." Matty said. 

They ran out and got in the car and soon arrived at the building. They went to the outside and reported in to Matty. "All right, Matty, we're outside of the building. It's under construction. Is there anything on the satellite?" Mac reported in, getting out his phone. "The building's vacant, with the exception of five heat signatures on the 15th floor. We've accessed a security cam from across the street." Matty reported as Mac held out his phone, which showed the image of Vitez and Riley and Bozer, as well as a goon. Mariah saw the tunicate on Bozer's left leg. "Bozer and Riley are being used as shields against a direct assault." Desi pointed out. "From a military perspective, the chance of freeing hostages without any casualties is..." Russ explained. "Very low. I know." Mac interrupted. "And Vitez knows how to set up an ambush." Desi said. "We need to figure out a way to get Riley and Bozer out of the equation." Mac looked around a bit. "Those shipping containers should have everything I need." Mac said, putting his phone away, running. Mariah, Russ, and Desi followed him and helped him gather what he needed. Desi and Mariah took apart bullets, and Mac and Russ built electromagnets with car batteries and copper wire and Mac built a flash grenade out of the gunpowder.

Mac left everyone off on the 14th floor, and Mariah and Russ set up the electromagnet cart and Desi got into position. "MacGyver." Vitez said. "I'm unarmed." Mac said. "Well, that's no surprise. Jack told me you never use a gun." Vitez said. "I'm here to negotiate the safe release of my friends." Mac said, cueing Mariah and Russ to turn on the cart, which was aimed right underneath Bozer and Riley. "How disappointing. I was led to believe you're a man of action." Vitez said. "Sorry. Now... let's figure out how we all walk away from this alive, yeah?" Mac continued stalling. "Don't worry about us, Mac." Bozer said. "Finish Jack's mission. That's all that matters." Riley said, honest. "Ugh! You're such a noble bunch. You really think you can talk your way out of this? It's over, MacGyver." Vitez said. Mariah and Russ had tapped the cart to signal Riley and Bozer to get ready. "You're right. Jack was the run who liked to run his mouth. But if he were here -- and I truly believe in that he is in spirit... he'd just have one thing to say to you." Mac said. "And what is that?" Vitez asked. "Yippee-ki-yay." Mac said. A bang was heard, which signaled Russ and Mariah to move the cart, which took Riley and Bozer out of the line of fire when Desi came out of the vent and fought the goon. Once the fighting was stopped when Mac said, "You're done, Kovac." "Nothing leads back to me. Still my word against yours." Vitez argued. "Actually, it's your word against yours. One security code turns on my laptop. The other turns on my laptop and the camera. I've recorded all your keystrokes and everything you said." Riley revealed. It went silent for a moment and Mac grunted slightly as Riley went off. "You took someone very special to me from this world. And I will be there every step of the way to make sure you rot in a cell." Riley went off. 

The team took Vitez into custody and once Mariah took Bozer to the local hospital with stitches and crutches, they all boarded the plane. They got in the air. Riley was in the back, middle seating was Desi and Bozer, and Mariah was waiting for Russ up front with Mac on the other side. Everyone had glasses of alcohol. Russ handed Riley a glass of alcohol and proposed a toast. "Once more, we raise a glass to the fallen, to the beloved we lost, to the heroes of days gone by. And to those who live on and honor them. To Jack." Russ said. "To Jack." Every said. Mariah tossed the glass back. Desi and Bozer were about to spill the alcohol, which caused Russ to start to go off. "Don't you dare pour 25-year old single malt onto my carpet!" Russ yelled, causing Mariah to nearly choke on her drink, which burned in her throat. "It's for the homey." Bozer and Desi said at the same time. "What? No!" Russ took away Bozers drink, causing Mariah to laugh. "What?" Bozer asked as Mariah stood up so Russ could sit down and she could sit on his lap, giving her the glass, and she sat it on the table. "How's the leg, Boz?" Mariah asked Bozer. "Doing alright. Doc said I need to stay off of it. Which will give me time to write our adventures into a screenplay for my sequel to _Love plus Gun plus Die_." Bozer said. "You should name a character after Jack." Desi suggested. "And get Bruce Willis to play him." Mac suggested, causing a laugh. Mac went to go back to Riley, but Desi stopped him, asking if Mac was okay. He said he was, but Mariah didn't buy it. Riley hadn't even touched her drink, and by the time Mac was done talking to her, Riley was still grieving. Mac stayed in the seat. 

Everyone had laid down, including Mariah on the recliner beside Russ. Mariah was half asleep when she caught Mac walking into the bathroom. It wasn't until she heard banging that she decided to investigate. She opened the door and saw Mac on the floor leaning against the sink, crying and broken down. Mariah sat down next to him and just held him, letting him cry as Mariah shushed him to calm him down. Mariah felt so bad for Mac. Mariah started tearing up too. "I know it hurts, Mac. I know." Mariah tried to stay strong for Mac. Mac just held on to Mariah, burying his head in her shoulder. "I just can't believe he's gone." Mac managed to get out, despite panting. "I'm sorry Mac. You've been through so much." Mariah choked out. Mac stayed silent. After a while, Mac was calmed down and Mariah sent him back to his seat. Mariah laid back down on her chair. They woke up back at the Phoenix Foundation. Before Riley left the plane, Mariah took her aside. "Riley, I'm sorry about Jack." Mariah told Riley. "Thanks." Riley said. "Riley, I know what it's like loosing a parent. If you ever want to talk, please, please let me know, Riles." Mariah gave a hint of a smile as she got off the plane. 

When she got home, she found a letter in the stack of mail. It as addressed to her from a Ozzy Ulrich, Mariah grabbed the letter opener and opened it. She read the letter: 

_Mariah,_

_You should know who this is by now. And if you've received this letter, then, you know. Mac told me about you and Russ. Says you treat him good. Thank you for giving my boy a chance and taking care of him. I want you to let Mac know that it's not his fault. Tell him to always use that big brain of his. Watch his six for me, yeah?_

_Ozzy_

Mariah smiled and put the letter on the desk and went to bed. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you liked this chapter! This next episode was definitely sad. I'll miss Jack Dalton. Part of me is hoping he faked his death for some reason. But, I guess time will tell. Now, onto the review! 
> 
> I liked how this episode showed Mac properly breaking down, and Tristan and Lucas all deserve Emmy's for their performance though. And I love Russ as a character, and his moment in the plane was hilarious. I also really liked how Mac was inspired by Jack with the yippee-kai-yay moment. I am also really excited about this next episode. 
> 
> I hope you enjoy this chapter! Remember to give kudos and share this story with your friends! Much Love! Stay Safe! 
> 
> Kaylee


	6. Quarantine + N95 + Landline + Telescope + Social Distance (5x6)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter, we flashback to the first COVID-19 lockdown. While quarantining together, Bozer, Mac, and Riley discover a crime happening involving their elderly neighbors and ask Desi to help them out. Meanwhile, Mariah decided to go on the front lines and Russ has to deal with a complicated situation involving a friend of his.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! So, in this chapter I'm gonna do something interesting. So, as you know in the episode, we get introduced to Sofia, who was a love interest for Russ, and well, you know how that ended. And as you well know, my oc Mariah is Russ's wife. So, this posed a bit of a challenge for me. That's all I'm gonna say for now so I don't ruin the chapter, but know I'll explain why I made the choices I did at the end of the chapter. Anyways, I hope you enjoy this chapter!

March 2020

Mariah and Russ came back from vacation after being told by Matty that a lockdown was potentially happening. Mariah then found out a "friend" of Russ's who he had a fling with a long time ago was staying for a few days at their white Malibu mansion. That caused another fight between the husband and wife, and Mariah to pack some clothes and leave. She went to her friend Amy and her husband John's house to get away and temporarily shut off her phone. The team was worried about Mariah. And Mariah was worried about her team. Mariah was just too pissed off at Russ to deal with the team at the moment. 

She didn't even know that the team had to save Russ from the side of a garbage truck during an op. Mac tried texting Mariah, letting her know Russ was alive. Mariah got over her pride temporarily and texted Mac back, saying that she was glad and apologized. Mariah still stayed at Amy's house though, as she couldn't be home with Russ while Sofia was there. Mariah remembered getting a text late at night from Mac saying how 2020 would be a better year for everyone as Codex was done, and it seemed everything would be as normal as it could when you work at a government agency with your husband, who you're pissed at, and your family of unorthodox individuals.

April 2020  
First Lockdown  
(I'm blaming Mac for jinxing it)

Needless to say, Mac was wrong. 28 days after that text had been sent, the world went into its first lockdown. John had gone to quarantine with a friend and his wife as Amy was a nurse, and they wanted to protect each other, and Mariah had stayed in order to help out Amy at the hospital as a favor for letting her stay all those years she was in the army. Russ was staying with Sofia, which pissed Mariah off, again. Bozer, Mac, and Riley were quarantined together. Desi was quarantining with her parents. Matty was quarantining at her place. During the 28 days, Mariah had recruited Mac to help build a ventilator to help with the shortage that was happening. Mariah didn't really talk to Russ during that time, partially because she was worried about what would happen if they talked. After many shifts at the hospital, working 18 hours at a time most of the time. Needless to say, when Mariah didn't just crash on the couch from exhaustion, she managed to still text the team. Usually, the texts involved calming the trio down during their petty arguments about toilet paper or the sink load of dishes. And the latest, the neighbors. Mariah and Amy had also gotten much closer while living together. 

28 days after the quarantine started, Mariah and Amy had come home from a long shift and relaxed on the couch. Some movie was on the tv and popcorn was on the coffee table and water. Amy was pretty close to Mariah during the movie, even nearly touching hands. Eventually even holding hands. Mariah felt Amy's hand on hers and backed away and stood straighter, and Amy did too. "Hey, Mar, what's wrong?" Amy asked Mariah, who had stood up at this point. "No, Amy. I can't do this." Mariah said, nervous. "Do what?" Amy asked, standing up and grabbing Mariah's shoulder. "This. Look, I love you and I'm thankful you got me out of the rut I was in, and you're a good friend, but even though I'm pissed at Russ, I won't do that to him." Mariah said, turning away from Amy. "Even though it's likely he's doing it with another woman at your house. The same house he moved you into on your second date. The same house you wanted to build a future." Amy argued. Mariah scoffed and turned back again. "I know that, that's why I'm pissed at my husband. We aren't broken up." Mariah said. "Really? Then why did you let him invite that bitch to your place?" Amy asked. "I don't know." Mariah answered honestly. Amy placed her hand on Mariah's cheek. Mariah pulled away and sat back down on the couch, and Amy followed. Mariah put her head in her hands. "What am I doing, Amy?" Mariah asked. Amy put her hand on Mariah's shoulder again. "You're doing your best." Amy said. Amy put her hand on Mariah's cheek again. Mariah pulled her hand away. "Amy, I can't let you do this to John. And I can't do this to Russ." Mariah said. "Mar, I'm sorry." Amy said, apologetically and backing off. Amy then leaned in and placed her lips on the corner of Mariah's mouth. 

Mariah accepted the kiss, though reluctantly. Mariah was blanked faced, unsure of how to process what happened. Amy backed off. "I'm sorry." Amy said, about to stand up. Mariah stopped her. "No. It's okay." Mariah said, smiling. Mariah thought a moment. "I guess I never contacted Russ because I know it's gonna be a fight." Mariah admitted, leaning back. Amy got closer to Mariah. "Yeah, I know the feeling. John and I got into a fight before he left." Amy said. Mariah turned towards her. "I'm sorry." Mariah said. "Ah, it's okay. Eventually, we'll talk." Amy said. "Yeah." Mariah said. Mariah looked back at Amy. Mariah saw the woman in front of her. A woman who had been there in her darkest day. Let her stay in her house when she got back from Hell. While Mariah knew inside her heart she loved Russ, there was something special between her and Amy. Maybe it was the fact they were staying in the same house. Maybe it was just because Mariah was too scared to confront Russ. Amy leaned in and kissed Mariah on the lips. This time, Mariah kissed back. But only once and backed off. "Mariah." Amy said. "Amy, that was a one time deal. I need to figure out some things with Russ." Mariah said, getting up. Amy followed. "Did I do something wrong?" Amy asked. "God, no. I just, I don't -- I don't want to start anything more. That kiss was it." Mariah explained. Amy nodded in understanding. "I understand." Amy said. Mariah turned off the tv and put the dishes away and went to bed, drained from earlier.

The next morning, Mariah and Amy went to work and didn't talk about the night before. The day was filled with Mariah doing whatever she was told and doing her best. Mariah got a call in the afternoon, so Mariah was able to go into a break room to get on the call. It was Matty, Bozer, Desi, Mac, Riley, and Russ. Mac, Riley, and Bozer were in Mac's truck, driving. Matty was at her place, Russ was at his and Mariah's place. "I don't have a lot of time, so please make this quick." Mariah said, getting her breath from taking her masks off temporarily. "CCTV of James Krengel being forced into the trunk of a sedan confirms that he was abducted the same day that Shane Steckler took your neighbors hostage." Matty filled in. "For the last two days, while the Krengels were being held, his coconspirator used his son's cleaning crew as cover to rob a spree of high-value storefronts." Russ continued. "Businesses want to disinfect during shutdown, so these guys have access to all the merchandise." Riley realized. "And with the stay-at-home order in effect, nobody would have noticed the Krengels were missing for weeks." Mac added. "The robbers still don't know that Steckler's out of the game, but... the second they make another check-in call..." Russ said. "That window closes." Bozer said. "Which means you only have 30 minutes to rendezvous with Desi at the mall and extract James Krengel and his crew." Matty said. "You guys were wanting a mission." Mariah added, smiling a tad. "I did want a mission." Bozer muttered to himself. "Yes, you did." Mac added. "Well..." Riley added. Mariah ended the call and went back to her shift. The shift went as well as you would expect when working at a hospital during a pandemic. When Mariah went home, she just laid in her bed and did a lot of thinking. Thinking about what she would say to Russ the next time she talked to them. Mariah got a text from Matty that everyone was okay, and that the robbers were arrested and in jail, though Mac, Desi, Riley, and Bozer had to quarantine for another two weeks. 

The phone call with Russ ended up being the next night, after a hard shift. Mariah was once again, laying in bed, thinking. This time, instead of putting it off, Mariah decided to get off her ass and call Russ. She hoped he would pick up, but not at the same time. The call answered, and Russ was laying in bed. He smiled at Mariah, glad to see her face. Mariah smiled back. If there's one thing Mariah loved about that cocky bastard, it was his smile. "Hey." Mariah started. "Hello, darling." Russ said. It was an awkward few seconds. "Listen, Russ, I'm sorry for being an asshole. I don't know what got into me. I'm so sorry." Mariah admitted, trying not to cry. "And I'm sorry as well. I know I didn't help the situation by being an ass. I understood why you had to leave, but I guess I was scared that I'd lose you somehow." Russ admitted, also trying to keep calm. "I was also scared that I'd lose you too, Russ. I mean, a woman comes by, and someone you had a fling with, I panicked. And I should have just said it from the start." Mariah said. "And it wasn't exactly good timing on my part. You wanted to save lives and put yourself at risk, and I pushed you away. Just like I always bloody do." Russ exhaled. "Russ. I get it, you've gone through some shit, and so have I. Let's not let it get in the way anymore, yeah?" Mariah suggested, smiling a tad. "I'd like that." Russ smiled back. Mariah exhaled in relief. Though, Mariah saw something in Russ's eyes. Something that said he was bothered by something. "Russ, you've got that look again." Mariah said. "What look?" Russ asked, brushing it off. "The look you get when something's bothering you." Mariah said. Russ still stayed silent. "Russel Taylor, what is bothering you?" Mariah scolded. Russ stood up and started walking. "Um... well, yesterday, I caught Sofia in my research room. And I looked in it after waking up earlier, and she was gone. Her stuff, everything. Gone." Russ said. Mariah had an "I warned you" look on her face. "I know." Russ said. Mariah looked at Russ on the phone. "For the record, I'm sorry." Mariah said, feeling bad. Russ opened the door, and showed Mariah the images of many ancient objects and research. Mariah was amazed. "You've never let me in that room before." Mariah said. "I know." Russ turned the camera to face him. "This research is very personal to me, and very private. When the Spanish conquistadors invaded Peru in the 1500s, they plundered the Incan treasure and melted it into various daggers, axes, spears... then during World War 2, the treasure was stolen by the Nazis." Russ explained. "I'm familiar with the story. What does this have to do with anything?" Mariah asked. "Never knew my father. My mother spent most of her time trying to make ends meet, and I was practically raised by my Peruvian grandfather, who spent most of his time filling my head with fantastical tales about Atahuallpa and the lost Incan treasure. We fantasized about finding it one day and all the things that we would buy. All the ways it would change our lives and... pull us out of poverty. Named my company in honor of my grandfather." Russ said. "Spearhead." Mariah realized. "The quest for wealth became a complete and utter obsession." Russ admitted. He rubbed his face and went to sit back at the couch and chuckled. "Look, I'm no good at this, no good at all this airing and sharing all the... skeletons in my closet, but... I want to try again, Mariah. You at my side." Russ said. Mariah was taken back at how honest Russ was. "I would like that." Mariah smiled. Russ smiled back. "I truely am sorry I didn't tell you about this sooner, darling." Russ said, apologetic. "Baby, I'm not mad. Surprised, but I should know by now you are full of surprises." Mariah said, chuckling, causing Russ to chuckle. "Yeah." Russ smiled. "You should let me help you." Mariah said. "Yeah. When are you coming home?" Russ said. "Once this is over. I don't want to get you sick, Russ." Mariah said. "I understand. How much longer do you think you will be quarantining?" Russ asked. "I'm not sure. Hosptial is jammed. Hopefully a couple of weeks." Mariah said. "All right. You be safe." Russ said. "You too." Mariah said. Russ smiled and ended the call. Mariah put her phone down and laid back down, exhaling. It felt good to talk to Russ. And Mariah felt better. In a couple of weeks, Mariah had a fever, so she had to quarantine. She decide to go back home with Russ, that way Amy wouldn't be at risk. While Mariah was quarantining, the hospital told Mariah that the flow of patients had slowed and that she could stay home. Mariah enjoyed having the time to talk to Russ. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Now, I chose to go this route with this chapter because I wanted to do something different. I always enjoyed writing stories, and I wanted to write about a relationship and its lows. I also wanted to write something I hadn't written about before, which was a relationship low. Now that I got that out of the way, here is my review of this episode: 
> 
> I really liked this episode, especially dealing with quarantine. I also liked how Bozer called out Mac about how he was a bad friend. I also loved the MacRiley moments, and I liked Russ's reactions in this episode and his relationship with Sofie, and how he reacted to her leaving. All though, the karaoke scene was cute. 
> 
> With that out of the way, I hoped you enjoyed this episode! Remember to give kudos and share this story. Much love to you all! Stay safe!
> 
> Kaylee


	7. Golden Lancehead + Venom + Pole Vault + Blood + Baggage (5x7)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What started as an innocent attempt at doing something positive turns into a deadly race for time as a cancer treatment using snake venom Mac is testing leads to his friend Frankie getting kidnapped, the team discovers that the kidnappers are using the cancer treatment to make a chemical nerve agent.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! I know this is a tad bit late, but I still hope you enjoy this chapter! Without further adieu, here is chapter 7 of season 5 of MacGyver!

Mac called the team, saying something bad happened at a warehouse he and Desi were at. So, the rest of the team drove to the warehouse and got filled in what happened. According to Mac, someone ransacked the lab he was working out of to make a cancer treatment using venom and kidnapped his friend Frankie and attacked him and Desi, and killed the two lab techs. They got a team to come and they were taking photos and trying to piece together something to start a search. Matty came back to the lab part of the room. Riley was standing near a set of drawers on her laptop. "Riley, update." Matty said. "Security cameras in this building and all the surrounding have been scrubbed. Whoever did this planned well." Riley reported. Matty walked past and went to Desi, who was working with Bozer to identify the attacker. . "Okay, Bozer, get that composite to every law enforcement agency in the country the instant it's done." Matty ordered Bozer. "On it." Bozer said. Matty then walked down to Russ and Mariah talking to Mac. Mariah was standing beside Mac, and Russ was looking at various papers, wearing black gloves. Mariah wasn't going to lie, she was impressed that Mac came up with the idea to use venom as a cancer drug. However, Mariah was a little pissed that Mac didn't tell anyone. "Look, I'm sorry, Angus, I know you're upset, but we need to keep going through all of your research." Russ said. "Look,I told you everything I know, and I think we should be out there looking for Frankie before it's too late." Mac said, getting impatient. "Mac, the Phoenix is doing everything possible to find Frankie, but only you can help us understand what happened here." Matty said. "Except I can't. It doesn't make any sense. " Mac said, obviously struggling to make sense of it all. "Think we can all agree that whoever they are, hired professionals. Fast, quiet." Mariah pointed out. "You know, I'd wager the man who attacked you was part of a small team of ex-soldiers turned private military contractors." Russ said. Mariah nodded her head in agreement. "They were sitting on this lab, saw me come in today. They planned on executing everyone working on the project all at once. If Desi hadn't called me..." Mac said. Then it hit him all at once. If Desi hadn't called him, Mac wouldn't have left them alone, and he could've saved them. Mac grabbed some papers and sighed. Then he looked at the papers, the gears in his head turning trying to come up with a solution. "What is it, Mac?" Mariah asked, knowing her Boy Wonder's thinking face. "Uh, I'm not sure yet." Mac said. Bozer was on his crutches, looking at the fridge. "Uh, Mac?" Bozer said. "Yeah?" Mac responded, causing the team to look at Bozer. "The label on the vial says _Bothrops insularis_." Bozer said. "Uh, yeah, it's a venom from a snake breed called the golden lancehead viper." Mac said, taking a couple of steps forward as he looked at the papers in his hand. "Aka one of the rarest and deadliest snakes in the world found only on one island off the coast of Sao Paulo. The Brazillian government has made it illegal to transport or own." Bozer came over to the team, as some members looked at Mac, wondering what the hell he got himself into. "Bozer, how do you know all that?" Matty asked. "Getting shot in the leg gives you lots of time to binge Planet Earth." Bozer said. "Hey, guys, uh, I'm not really huge on snakes." Riley said, anxious. "Me too, Riles." Mariah said, hoping Riley felt better about her phobia. "The golden lancehead's venom targets the nervous system of his prey with pinpoint accuracy, causing blood blisters, intestinal bleeding, tissue necrosis, hemorrhage!" Bozer said, imitating David Attenborough (I probably spelled that wrong). "All right, that's great. I'm just gonna..." Riley said, walking away to her laptop plugged into the computer, uncomfortable. "The fact that the golden lancehead is so deadly is precisely why I needed its venom. The more fast-acting a toxin is, the better it is at attacking cancerous tumors." Mac explained. "But how did you even get it in here?" Bozer asked Mac. "Uh, insulated hair spray bottle with a false bottom." Mac said. It was silent for a moment until Riley spoke up. "Guys, I think I found something." Riley walked over to the team. "Spyware embedded in the OS of Frankie's laptop. Someone's been logging her every keystroke." Riley explained. "What?" Mac questioned. "It's reporting to a burner phone not too far from here." Riley continued. Desi looked at Mac. "That's got to be the sasquatch who attacked us." Desi pointed out. "Y-Yeah, and he could have Frankie. Let's go." Mac said, leaving. 

Mariah, Russ, Desi, and Riley followed as Matty and Bozer stayed behind with the team. They piled in Mac's truck and Desi drove to the address Riley provided, leading them to a park. Desi parked them on a street near the park and they all got out. "All right, Riley. Where to?" Mac asked Riley as the team met in front of the truck. "The burner phone doesn't have GPS. I was triangulating its location using cell towers, but now there's only one in range." Riley explained. "Come again?" Desi questioned, confused. "It means he's in the park, but this is as close as I can get us." Riley said. "Right. Looks like we're gonna have to go old-school. Form a dragnet, start at the edge of the park and work our way in. Remember, if he makes us before we make him, our only lead to rescuing Frankie is shot." Russ said. The team understood and split up. Mac went left, Desi and Riley continued straight, and Russ and Mariah went right. "He's still here somewhere." Riley said over comms. Mariah and Russ kept walking, looking at the people in the park. "Everyone's covered up. It's hard to get a visual." Russ pointed out. "Yeah, hang on. I've got an idea. I can hijack the spyware and send a script to the burner phone." Riley said getting out her phone. "What kind of script?" Desi asked, standing still and looking around. "The kind that overclocks a lithium-ion battery. Look out for a reaction." Riley said. "Fire. Got it." Mariah said, her eyes looking for someone dumping a phone or something burning. The team looked around until they saw flames started shooting out of the can. The team ran to the trash can. "Suspect ditched their phone. We lost him." Mac said. Mariah noticed Russ looking at someone in a red hoodie and black jacket walking away as everyone else was reacting to the fire. "Maybe not. I've got one person walking away, red hoodie." The person started moving quicker. "He's off. He's off!" Russ exclaimed as the team started running to chase them. Mariah then saw an RC car coming past and ramming it into the person's feet, tripping them, giving Desi time to tackle them, and turn them to face her. Desi had her hand on her gun as the team came over. "Who are you?" Desi asked. Mariah saw it was a blond woman with her hands up. "I'm Nina Harris with the Department of Defense. Check my coat pocket for my credentials." She said as Mac came over. Desi pulled the badge out and tossed it to Russ. Desi took to behind this stone structure while Russ and Mariah made a phone call to verify Nina was telling the truth and to the fire department. And indeed she was. "Right. Agent Harris, your bona fides check out." Russ said, handing the badge back to Agent Harris. "And your boss agrees with us that you should fill us in." Mariah said, showing she wasn't happy. "So he did." Nina said. "If you work for the DoD, why'd you run?" Desi asked. "I clocked someone tailing me, did what I was trained to do." Nina said. "That doesn't explain why you were spying on my lab." Mac pointed out. "We flagged a very dangerous substance being imported illegally from Brazil." Nina said. The team looked at Mac. "The, uh, snake venom was being used for cancer research." Mac explained. "So we learned when we watched Dr. Mallory's computer. And we also learned that her proprietary method for extracting toxins from the venom had potential alternative applications." Nina explained. "You're not just DoD, are you?" Russ questioned. Mariah realized who she really was. "Black budget." Mariah realized. "Her group runs operations that illegal but necessary. Or at least that's the company motto, isn't it?" Russ said, looking back at Nina. "If one of our enemies is gonna create a weapon, it's better that we do it first." Nina said. "Right. Cause having the bigger stick is always the answer." Mariah retorted, knowing what Nina meant. "What are we talking about here?" Desi asked. "I approached Dr. Mallory about using her technique to engineer the golden lancehead venom into a nerve agent for the U.S military." Nina revealed. The team looked at each other, knowing this wasn't good. "What did Frankie say?" Mac asked. "She refused." Nina said. Mac exhaled, then the lightbulb light up. "Hold on. Uh, you guys finish this up. I'll meet you back at the Phoenix." Mac said, starting to leave. "Hang on, where are you off to?" Russ asked. "Back to the lab." Mac said. 

Russ called Matty to let her know Mac was coming, then they went back to the Phoenix and prepared the debrief. Mariah was standing next to Matty was Russ was sitting on the chair, Riley sitting on the arm of the opposite chair, and Bozer standing. Mac and Desi came in soon after. "Okay. Everything Agent Harris told us checks out, but I still have more questions, starting with: what would be the timeline for someone to transform Frankie's ideas into a reality?" Matty said. "Short. According to her notes, she cracked the whole thing. How to extract toxins from the golden lancehead saliva, how to stabilize them, uh, how to aerosolize those toxins. The only real barrier to production that I saw was sourcing a supply of venom." Mac explained. "They didn't steal your vial from the lab." Bozer said. "So we should proceed as if someone's already crossed over that threshold." Matty said. Russ stood upand went next to Mariah. "Agreed. Let's talk about leads." Russ said, tapping on the tablet and pulling up the photo of the composite sketch Bozer made from Desi's description on the big screen. "He's still even uglier in person." Desi said. "All attempts to I.D this man have failed, so for now we're calling him Unsub One. Likely a former soldier hired by a terrorist group or hostile regime to obtain Frankie's research." Bozer reported. "Well, that's one theory." Russ said. "What's the other?" Bozer asked. "Frankie partnered with this man and his team to stage a robbery and then she covered her tracks by killing everyone involved with the project." Russ said, turning to face Mac. "W -- Are... that's insane." Mac said, obviously not liking the implication. "Is it?" Russ asked Mac. "Yes. Frankie may have done the science on paper, but she'd never do that. Have me killed? What are you talking about? Why?" Mac objected the idea. Mariah understood why Russ asked the question, but she also knew how Mac worked, and given that Mac and Frankie seemed a lot alike, it seemed reasonable to suggest that she just needed the satisfaction of figuring out the problem. "The usual reason. Riley." Russ cued up Riley. Riley pulled up Frankie's financials. "Last week 2 million dollars was deposited into Frankie's account. Sent from a shielded account in the Sechelles." Riley explained. "Why didn't Frankie tell you she'd been approached by the DoD?" Russ asked Mac. "I don't know." Mac answered. "How did Unsub One learn about the nerve agent if you yourself didn't know about the project in your own lab?" Russ asked Mac, being a bit too agressive. "I don't know, but there's got to be some sort of explanation for this." Mac said, defending Frankie. "Yes, there is. After Frankie was turned down by the DoD, she realized there was more money to be made in the black marketand she reached out to his man for help in pulling it off." Russ said, getting in Mac's space. "Okay, Mac, we need to be open to all interpretations of the evidence. If Frankie were involved -- if... how would we locate her?" Matty asked, diffusing the tension for the moment. Mac thought and sighed. "In order to scale and produce the nerve agent, she would have to set up a lab. Somewhere off the grid. And I know the type of equipment she likes." Mac said, realizing Matty was right. "I can cross-refrence lab equipment point of sales from shipments to a single location." Riley said. "Let's do it." Matty said. Russ walked out. Mariah let him go and Riley got an address. 

Mac, Riley, and Desi left, leaving Mariah, Russ, and Matty at Phoenix. Mariah couldn't get an idea out of her head as she sat on the chair beside Russ, a drink in her hand as Matty walked in. "You were hard on him before." Matty told Russ off. "You were, babe." Mariah added. "Who?" Russ asked, not wanting to hear it. "Unnecessarily." Matty said. "One of my agents didn't disclose he'd been running a secret lab researching lethal and illegal substances. I have a right to be pissed when it all goes pear-shaped." Russ said, looking at Mariah and Matty. "This job requires a lot from us. I won't fault Mac for wanting something outside of it." Matty said, defending Mac. "Ah, yes, there it is. That excuse. That justification for the lie. That small fissure is all it takes for something far more sinister to slip its claws in and tear us all apart." Russ started ranting. "You both got fair points. Look, I'm not gonna yell at Mac for wanting something good to happen from the crap he's been through, but he should have told us. Either way, it happened, and we have to do the mission." Mariah said, playing devil's advocate. "Mercanaries for hire, shady divisions of democratic governments, dangerous weapons. You're thinking of the bioweapons you built for the U.S government, aren't you?" Matty realized, hitting the head of the proverbial nail. "Hades-X1 also started off with good intentions. At least that's the lie I fed myself. The money helped it go down easy, and next thing I knew... a weapon of mass destruction existed with a patent issued to yours truly." Russ said. Mariah grabbed Russ's hand and squeezed it, giving a hint of a warm smile to comfort Russ. "We've all done things we're not proud of. It's the price we pay for the world we operate in. Look, I've struggled with the moral traps of this job for a long time. But at the end of the day, I've made peace with the fact that... there's just no simple answers." Matty said. "Ain't that the truth." Mariah muttered, chuckling at herself as Russ and Matty looked at her. "When I was an army medic, life was simpler. It was good verses evil, black and white lines everywhere. I followed orders, saved whoever I needed to and that was that. No questions asked. But I got this job and I realized that the world wasn't all black and white. It was full of color. Good people doing bad, and bad people doing good. And there were some good people, out there, even with dubious pasts. Falling in love with an ex-mercanary will do that to you." Mariah smiled at Russ. He smiled back. "You taught me that people can change. That sometimes the hardest decisions are the moraly right ones. And forgiveness is better than resentment." Mariah said. Matty let the couple alone for a moment and fogged the windows are her way out. Russ looked at Mariah. "You know I love you, right?" Russ smiled at Mariah. "I know." Mariah smiled back. 

Soon, Mac reported that they were at the lab and that Unsub One had acquired the venom he needed. He also got Frankie out. After they got Frankie, she revealed that she already made the nerve agent in order to save her friends lives. What she didn't know, but soon found out, what that they were already dead. They called Bozer and Matty in the war room and had Frankie give her description of what Unsub One looked like to Bozer. "Updated the composite with new info from Frankie, still nothing." Bozer reported, sitting on the chair. "Desi, animal control is on the way to pick up those snakes." Matty reported. "Any luck getting those PMCs to talk?" Mariah asked. "Well, they're the strong, silent type." Desi said. "That's warfighter code. Soon as they talk, they become unhirebale." Russ said. "Which means Frankie remains our only hope. Okay, go through her story again. See if you can shake loose any details that'll help us I.D Unsub One before he ghosts with that nerve agent." Matty ordered. "Mac's working on it." Desi said. "Ben and... Sandra. I just can't believe it." Frankie was heard over Mac's comm, obviously upset at the news of her friends deaths. "I'm so sorry, Frankie. But you know what? I need your help. Or they won't be the last ones to get hurt. Can you, uh, run us through the story?" Mac said, comforting Frankie some. "Um... I, uh... I was approached by the DoD woman Nina Harris to engineer a nerve agent from the golden lancehead venom. I said no. Of course I said no. But once the idea was planted, you know, it-it hooked onto my brain. It became this... this logic problem I couldn't stop trying to solve. You know, I needed to know that the DoD was right. That the techniques we developed could make this weapon. So I kept my work offline. And after a week of all-nighters, I cracked it." Frankie explained. "What about the 2 million dollars deposited into your bank account?" Mac asked. "Okay, I know this is gonna sound crazy, but a few days after I met with Nina, it just showed up. Two million bucks, just like that. And then at the same time, I-I started noticing people, like, following me, uh, noises on my phone, um, a car parked outside my place late a night. At first, I thought I was just being paranoid, and then I realized, if the DoD figured out what I was capable of, then... maybe somebody else did, too." Frankie revealed. Mariah still couldn't get the idea she had in her head out. "That's why you didn't tell me. Cause you were being watched." Mac realized, it all making enough sense to him. "You know, this all sounds very familiar." Matty pointed out. "The intimidation, cash falling from the sky. What does that sound like?" Mariah said, not wanting to reveal too much, yet get her idea across. Russ got the message. "Angus, Matilda, Mariah, and I are gonna follow up on a lead. You get Frankie somewhere safe." Russ said. "Copy that." Mac said. 

Russ, Mariah, and Matty got in the car and drove to the location of interest, and went in. When they walked to the floor Nina was on, there were agents cleaning up papers and about to make it seem as if nobody was there. The trio walked up to Nina. "Russel Taylor. Mariah Taylor. Director Webber, I presume? You do not have permission to be here." Nina greeted them. "Oh, well, judging by how fast your boys are packing up shop, I'm guessing neither do you." Matty said. "Well, officially, of course." Mariah added. Russ and Mariah behind a desk to it was between them and Nina. "And speaking of not following laws, some details of your operation have come to light since our last conversation." Russ said. "I answered all of your questions." Nina argued. "Yes, while omitting just enough to stay out of trouble. In fact, I realized I've been in your exact position before. And so I asked myself, what would I do if Frankie declined my offer? Would I respectfully walk away? No, not a chance. I would go to plan b: intimidation. Make the target think they're being followed, then spring the payday, reconnect, but this time the cash comes with protection. Protection against the person that you hired to scare her." Matty said. "Matilda, Darling, what sort of chaps would you use to do that?" Russ asked sarcastically. "Not DoD. Too much red tape." Matty answered. "Chaps like me. Private muscle, professional, dubious morals." Russ added. "And that answers another question. How did Unsub One even learn about Frankie's research in the first place if not even MacGyver knew about it?" Matty said. "Kind of like when Frankie couldn't stop thinking about the formula for the nerve agent, I couldn't stop thinking of this theory I had. See, Frankie cracked the agent on paper and kept it offline. Anybody who hacked her computer would see that the venom was for cancer research. Then I asked myself, "Who else knew about the nerve agent?" Cause Frankie didn't tell Mac or anybody in the lab cause she was scared. So, the information had to come from you. Then you told the PMC that you hired to intimidate Frankie." Mariah said. Russ pulled out his phone and showed Nina the composite sketch. "But I also know that murder isn't in the DoD playbook. So tell us, Nina, what went wrong?" Matty added. Nina thought about her options. "After we talked in the park, I did some digging, and I found out that the guys I hired to intimidate Frankie had gone to ground." Nina revealed. "Hence the bug-out operation. I see you're cutting ties." Russ said. "Best I can tell, he saw the bigger payday. He killed the lab techs, he abducted Frankie, and he's probably forcing her to finish the nerve agent." Nina said. "Well, that all checks out, except for the last part. Frankie finished the nerve agent, past tense. Your rogue muscle already has enough in his possession to kill thousands." Matty informed Nina, who didn't like what she heard. "And their blood will be on your hands unless you tell us who he is." Mariah threatened Nina, grabbing Russ's phone and holding it up to show Nina the composite sketch again. Nina gave it up. 

Bozer took the name and got what info he could. "Donick Luca. Court-martialed Marine turned mercenary. Has a reputation for taking jobs nobody else will." Bozer filled the team in. "I've got a rental in Donick's name heading for the U.S-Mexico border." Riley added. "They're taking back roads. Can I see this?" Mac said. "Look. If we hurry, we can but them off at this gas station right there." Mac said. Desi got the address and punched the gas. Mariah, Matty, and Russ had left and were at the Phoenix when the group in the field got the truck stopped and realized Luca wasn't in the truck. Not only that, but half of the nerve agent was gone. Riley luckily hacked into the truck and saw that they made one after the lab. The San Diego Airport. "Boze, run a facial rec scan at the international terminal." Matty ordered Bozer. "Okay." Bozer ran the scan. "Got him. Donick used an alias to check into a flight to Ecuador that's still boarding -- and get this, he checked a bag." Bozer informed the team. "He checked a proprietary nerve agent on a commercial flight?" Desi asked. "They hedged their bets. They sent half out of the country by road and half by air, hidden in plain sight." Russ pointed out. "I'm gonna ground all planes and lock down the airport. Get there and secure that package." Matty ordered. "Preferably quickly." Mariah added. "Copy that." Desi said. "Wait, wait, wait." Frankie said. "What's wrong?" Mac asked. "These guys used an iron-alloy container for transport, which would be fine, except the TSA switched to ionizing radiation for baggage scans." Frankie explained. "Which destabilized the formula bonding the nerve agent-- the venom's gonna react with the iron." Mac pointed out. "If we don't get that bag and contain the breach..." Desi pointed out. "Yeah. Then everyone in the airport will be exposed to the nerve agent and die." Mac said. This was not good. 

Mac and the team on the ground left to race to the airport. Mariah called the airport and had them get everyone out and lock the place down and had a hazmat team on standby. Bozer pulled up the security footage of the airport being evacuated. "TSA and local police are evacuating the airport, but there are a lot of people to move and it's gonna take time." Matty said. "What about Donick?" Desi questioned. "Police didn't find him at his gate. They're searching the airport now." Bozer said. "Then our only hope is that they find the nerve agent before it eats through the container and contaminates everyone at the airport." Russ said. "It's easier said than done." Mac said. "All right, Mac, each luggage tag has a unique RFID signature that gets scanned as it moves through the system." Riley said, having arrived. "So we can use those scans to find the suitcase with the weapon." Desi said. "Exactly. All right, now, somewhere around you, look for a pink bag with a pony on it." Riley said. "That's the bag Donick's using to transport the nerve agent in?" Mac questioned. "No, but it's heading towards Donick's bag, and you're hitching a ride." Riley said. Soon gunshots rang out on Mac and Desi's comms. "Well, good news Matty -- we found Donick." Desi said. "He must have figured out why the airport was closed down and came to recover the nerve agent before we did." Mac said. "Mac, I know you've got your hands full, but the train's about to leave the station." Riley pointed out. "Go! I got him!" Desi said. Grunting and punches were heard as Desi fought Donick and Riley guided Mac to the right suitcase. Mac made it to the right suitcase. "The containers already deteriorating. I don't have enough time to get it out of the airport." Mac reported. "Mac, what are you gonna do?" Russ asked. "Improvise." Mac said. Desi got Donick and had Riley help him locate things he needed to make a fast-hardening sealant. They waited as Mac did his thing and then started laughing, realizing he was okay. "It worked. It worked." Mac reported as the team was relieved as Mac was panting. "It's contained." Mac said. "Hang tight, Mac. Hazmat should be there soon." Mariah said. "I'll notify local authorities and let them know the threat has been neutralized." Bozer said. 

Mariah got word that the hazmat team grabbed the nerve agent and arrested Donick. Unfortunately, when they looked through Donick's cell phone, they found a location to a dead drop where Donick was supposed to deliver the nerve agent. There was an image file with the Codex symbol attached. This only meant one thing. Someone was bringing Codex back together. And they used Mac's research as a way to do it. Things were gonna get a hell of a lot more complicated for the team. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Sorry, it took some time to get done, but I hope you enjoy it nonetheless. Now, the weekly episode review:
> 
> This episode was a nice change of pace for me. While I'm not happy that Desi didn't trust Mac and yelled at him for keeping a secret, it was nice to see a bit of the early MacGyver, just simply saving the day. I'm also not really happy that Codex is back, but we'll see how it plays out. I'm a little mad a Russ for yelling at Mac, and that he didn't apologize, but I understand why he was mad. Overall, I really enjoyed this episode. 
> 
> Well, tonight's episode is gonna be fun, as it's a Hawaii 5-0 crossover and a Lost reunion. I'm also looking forward to writing the interactions between Jerry Ortega and Mariah. I look forward to it, and I'll see you all in the next chapter. Remember to give kudos and share this story! Much love to you all! Stay Safe!


	8. SOS + Hazmat + Ultrasound + Frequency + Malihini (5x8)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Matty gets an SOS from her mentor Ian Cain, it's up to Mac, Riley, and Desi to figure out why Cain and his embassy staff are getting sick. Meanwhile, Mariah, Russ, and Bozer team up with Hawaii 5-0's Jerry Ortega to get information on Codex.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! This episode is definitely going to be fun to write! So, as you all know, this is a mini crossover with Hawaii 5-0, and I do not watch that show, so just know I do not entirely know who those characters really are as well as I know the MacGyver characters, so I apologize if I butcher anything. Without further adieu, here is episode 8 of season 5 of MacGyver!

Mariah was in the war room looking at intel from one of her analysts when she saw her security running around. Mariah looked out and pulled one of the guards aside. "What is going on?" Mariah asked him. "There was a problem at the front door. There was a man taking photos. Says his name is Jerry Ortega. He also claims that he knows MacGyver, Ma'am." The guard explained. "Where is he now?" Mariah asked. "We have him in an interrogation room, ma'am." The guard said. Mariah gestured to have him take her to the room. "What else do you know?" Mariah asked as they started walking. "He had a bag on him. Miss Nguyen and Mr. Taylor are looking through it with security now, ma'am." The guard said. "Okay. Have they scanned the bag yet?" Mariah asked as she walked down the steps to get to the security area. "Just started now, ma'am. They're waiting for you." The guard said, opening the door to the room Russ and Desi were in. "Thank you. Wait outside." Mariah said as the guard shut the door. Desi and Russ looked at Mariah. "Hey, darling. Our mystery guest's bag is almost finished scanning." Russ said, kissing Mariah's cheek. "Okay. Once the scans are done, we'll inspect the bag by hand so we don't miss anything." Mariah told them. They agreed and inspected the bag. "Let's see, clothes, camera, nothing obvious... woah." Desi said. "What?" Mariah questioned. Desi pulled out a badge. Mariah looked at it. "Hawaii 5-0?" Mariah showed the badge to Russ. "Why does our mystery guest have a badge for Hawaii 5-0?" Russ asked. "Why don't we ask him ourselves?" Mariah suggested. 

The rest agreed and the trio waited outside the interrogation room, trying to get a read on their mystery guest, who was a bigger guy. "Listen, I get it. I trespassed, took some photos. But we can skip this whole rendition room thingy. I mean, you're not gonna good cop/bad cop me, because that's so '90s, right? And from what I hear, you're way cooler than that." Their mystery guest said as part of his rant. Russ busted into the interrogation room first, annoyed with their guest. "You know, I've never said this before during an interrogation, but please, just stop talking." Russ said, Desi and Mariah not far behind him. "Copy that." Jerry, the mystery guest, said. "We searched your bag." Desi said. She placed the 5-0 badge on the table. "Where did you get that, Mr. Ortega, or whatever your name is?" Mariah asked him. "It's the task force I worked with." Jerry explained. "So you're law enforcement?" Russ asked. "I was. Not anymore. It's a long story." Jerry answered. "Who are you?" Russ asked. "This is the Phoenix Foundation, right? Where MacGyver works?" Jerry asked. The trio looked at each other, wondering how this guy knew about this place. "My name is Jerry Ortega." Jerry said. "We're not interested in your name, Jerry. Who are you?" Russ repeated. "I'm the guy in the shadows, who sees through the chaos. I'm here to save you." Jerry started, realizing it was a bit intense as the trio showed disapproval on their faces. "Whoa. Okay, that was a little dramatic." Jerry realized. "How do you know MacGyver?" Desi asked. "He went to Hawaii a while ago. Helped Five-O. He brought a sidekick with him. A big guy, buzz cut, huge karaoke fan." Jerry said. "Jack." Desi realized. "Yeah, that's right." Jerry confirmed. "So, Jerry Ortega of the Five-O Task Force, what brings you here?" Russ asked. "Well, for a while now, I've been tracking online rumors about a terrorist organization trying to bring about the end of the world. And word is some mystery group sent them running. I put it together, and all roads lead to MacGyver. So I called up my old boss, Steve McGarrett, asked for an address, and voilà, here I am. I guessed I spooked security." Jerry explained. Russ motioned for Desi and Mariah to turn around and take a couple of steps. "Yes, I'd say he's pretty harmless. Just a... nosy conspiracy theorist." Russ said quietly. "That's rude." Jerry said, having heard him, causing the trio to turn. "I prefer truth hunter." Jerry said. "All right then. Truth hunter." Russ said. He got ready to open the door. "We'll be back." Mariah said as the trio was about to go out the door. "You think you stopped Codex, but you didn't." Jerry said quickly, causing the trio to stop. "They're still out there, talking to each other." Jerry explained. Mariah and Russ took a couple of steps towards him. "How do you know that?" Mariah asked. "I know because they're talking to me too." Jerry explained. He gave up his laptop, which had the communications on it.

Once they checked out Jerry's story, confirming what he said was true, they had a meeting in the war room. The team, minus Matty, waited for Mac to come in when Riley got up and started her briefing. "We recovered this message from a cell phone on a previous op. I tracked similar single-use burners, mapped to other intercepted messages. This pattern here indicates an upper-level Codex operative in the area." Riley explained, having the image of the map and a red cluster in the Northwest US. "So, you said that Codex was talking to you?" Mac asked Jerry. "I tracked them to the dark web, created an alias, pretended I wanted to join the cause. We traded a few messages." Jerry explained. "How do you know it was them?" Bozer asked. "Because someone forgot to activate their VPN when signing on. Lasted about half a second. That was enough for me to grab an I.P address. I traced it to a bunker in Montana before the whole killer volcano thing." Jerry explained. Just then, Matty opened the door, obviously upset about something. "There's been a change of plans. Mac, Desi, Riley, you're with me on the jet. Taylors, Bozer, stay with the Codex lead." Matty ordered. "You're... going into the field?" Desi questioned. "Wheels up in ten." Matty said. Mac, Desi, and Riley followed Matty on the jet. Mariah, Bozer, and Russ went into the lab to figure out a plan for the next steps. Matty filed in the team in what Matty was up to. Apparently, her mentor Ian Cain, a Cold War veteran, sent Matty an SOS signal, but nothing else. 

Bozer had gotten Jerry set up and Jerry was trying to get ahold of his contacts, but it had been hours since he'd started. They even got Chinese take out. Russ was sitting on a stool next to Mariah. "Even as we speak, someone is out there sending orders to disbanded Codex cells. We need to find out who's pulling the strings." Russ said. "We will, babe." Mariah said to Russ. "Sorry, guys. My Codex contacts have gone deep underground. I'm dropping breadcrumbs, but it's quiet out there." Jerry said. "Then I suggest a new plan because we've been doing this for bloody hours." Russ said, finishing the piece of food he had in his hand. Jerry started laughing softly like he was enjoying himself. "Hang on. You're having fun." Russ pointed out. Jerry looked at the trio. "What? Free food, a tricked-out superspy lair, the bathrooms have cloth towels. You know, it's nice to appreciate what you have, enjoy your life." Jerry said. "Uh, he doesn't do that." Bozer pointed at Russ. Mariah chuckled and got a look from Russ. "Yeah, I checked every dark website that had Codex activity and I got nothing." Jerry said. Just then, Russ noticed something. "Hang on. What's that?" Russ asked, pointing to the marketplace on the screen. Jerry opened it up. "Marketplace for Radiological Dispersal Devices. Dirty bombs." Jerry said. "So, Codex only knows you by your online alias, right?" Russ asked. "FailSafe815." Jerry answered. "So, other than wanting to join up, that's pretty much all they know about you." Bozer pointed out. "Well, let's just pretend, just for a moment, that you are a dirty bomb specialist." Russ looked at Mariah and Jerry, knowing Mariah got the idea. "You can send a message to Codex offering your services." Mariah suggested. Jerry thought a second. "Radiological mayhem. Yeah, that sounds like Codex's M.O. Let's give it a shot." Jerry started typing out his message. Russ moved his head behind Jerry, along with Bozer and Mariah. "And actually, I do know how to have fun. Just last week, my wife and I were with the Navy SEALs, practicing our nighttime amphibious landing, under live ammunition fire, might I add." Russ said, causing Mariah to smile. "It was definitely interesting. And I guess fun if you look at it a certain way." Mariah said. "I don't even know how to unpack that." Bozer said, done with the couple. "Whoa." Jerry said, causing the trio to get back in line. "That was fast. Says they want to discuss my services, in person." Jerry reported, not exactly liking that. "Looks like we've got a job interview with Codex. Now this, this is fun." Russ said, rubbing his hands together like a kid. Mariah smiled at him. 

They went back up into the War room and Jerry got the location of the meet. Bozer got the address and looked up the blueprints for the place. "Looks like the meeting is two hours away. We can get a visual on most tables either from the bar or the upper-level balcony." Bozer said. "Perfect. Public place, gives us options for establishing lines of sight so we can remote-hack Codex's communications." Russ said. "If we get access to their comms, we can figure out how their encrypting their messages." Mariah said. "Trace the messages back to whoever's pulling the strings." Russ said. "Leland?" Bozer questioned. "Oods are that it's him, although a few things don't quite add up." Russ said. The trio turned around. "Great work, Jerry." Russ complimented him. "Thanks. This was a blast. I'm gonna miss you guys. Well, I'll get out of the way." Jerry went to grab his bag. "Wait -- hang on a second. Boze, Mariah, and I are doing the remote hack. You're the one who's meeting Codex." Russ said. Jerry stated laughing, obviously uncomfortable. "We can't do the meet, they know our faces." Mariah pointed out, wondering if Jerry was serious. "You--you have done undercover work for Five-O before, right?" Russ asked. "Absolutely. There was this one time at a memorabilia store, and then oce at a mental hospital." Jerry said. The team looked at each other, knowing it wasn't ideal, but Jerry had to do it. "You'll do great. Russ and I will coach you through it." Mariah said. They got packed and started the two-hour drive to the restaurant where the meet was at. Russ and Bozer were on the balcony, and Mariah had a drink at the bar, all wearing fancy clothes. Jerry was about to be sat at a table in both their lines of sight. "Check comms, one, two." Bozer said. "Comms good on my end." Mariah reported, sipping her drink. "You guys can see me okay?" Jerry whispered. "Yes, we have excellent sightlines. Now just remember, make eye contact, lower your voice, don't fidget with the tableware." Russ said when Mariah cut in. "And show your confidence, but don't get too cocky. These are the type of people who don't like being challenged." Mariah added. "You are, after all, dealing with an international apocalyptic death cult." Russ said. "Thanks for the pep talk, Oprah." Jerry said. as he got sat down. "I like him." Bozer said. "Yes. I'm getting rather warm and cuddly feelings towards him myself." Russ pointed. Mariah saw the opening and took it. "Oh, baby, you're not going soft on me, are you? I kind of like it when you're being a hard ass." Mariah joked. Bozer and Russ just groaned. "Anyway, let's try not to get him killed." Bozer said. After a while of waiting, Bozer finally came on comms. "Potential recruiter incoming. Remember the phrase." Bozer said. Mariah used the mirror from her compact, acting like she was fixing her lipstick as she saw a woman approach Jerry. "Pinotage. That's hard to find in L.A." The woman said. "Not if you know where to look." Jerry said. Jerry motioned for her to sit. "That wasn't half bad." Russ complimented. "All right, hacking the recruiter's comms..." Bozer said. "We could use someone with your skillset." The recruiter said. "And I am the best." Jerry pointed out. "We're not for the faint of heart." The recruiter said. "What was is lost, from death comes life." Jerry said, getting the recruiter's attention. Mariah put her compact away and used the mirror behind the bar to look. "We're in. I got a trace on the phone. Now we just need her to make a call." Bozer reported. "All revolutions have a price." Jerry said. "And what is yours?" The recruiter asked. "What's my price?" Jerry repeated, wanting an answer. "Name something ridiculously high. She'll have to call her boss for approval, and her boss is who we're after." Russ pointed out. "You're doing great, Jerry." Mariah complimented. She saw Jerry write down the number and handed it to the recruiter. "That's the price you pay for the best." Jerry said. The recruiter looked at it, considering her options. She stood up and pulled out her phone, about to make a call, but then she turned around. "You know what? I can handle this. No need to bother the boss." The recruiter said. "Shit." Mariah muttered. "No-no-no-no-no. What is she doing?" Bozer questioned, not happy with the turn. Mariah saw some men approaching Jerry's table. "You can't handle it. Call your bloody boss." Russ said, also not happy with the turn. "You're hired. But we need to see a demonstration." The recruiter said. "Jerry, listen to me." Bozer said. "So, if you'll please come with us." The recruiter said. Mariah wanted to take the guys on, but she couldn't cause a scene, or Codex would know they were on to them. "Do what she says. If you refuse, they're going to kill you." Bozer said. Jerry got up and went to leave. "Don't worry Jerry. We'll be close by." Mariah said. 

Jerry left and the trio followed them to the building they were in. The recruiter was about to chop Jerry's thumb off when Bozer knocked a guy out with his crutch. Russ was by the fryers. "Hello." Russ said as he flung oil on the goons he was taking care of. The recruiter went after Bozer with her clever, and Bozer blocked a couple of blows. "Hey, over here bitch!" Mariah yelled as she took a saucepan nearby and smacked her with it, knocking her out. Mariah caught Russ last-minute banging a guy's head off the table. "You alright, babe?" Mariah asked Russ, walking up to him. "I'm fine, darling." Russ said. "It's about time." Jerry said, glad they showed up. "Right. Let's scamper before their reinforcements arrive. This way chaps, and darling." Russ said, leading the way as they left the room. They went back to the Phoenix and Jerry grabbed his things and they changed and went to a nearby bus stop Jerry wanted to take. "Are you sure you want to take the bus?" Russ asked. "Yeah. Trains and planes are for amateurs. Too easily tracked. Bus is the way to go." Jerry pointed out, causing Mariah to chuckle. "Thanks for opening my eyes about the moon landing." Bozer said. "Yeah. Thanks for letting me help. You know, normally, it's every conspiracy theorist's dream to be right about something. Just wish I was wrong about Codex." Jerry said. "Don't we all." Mariah said. "We didn't get to trace the call back to the boss. We need a plan B." Bozer said. "Or do you?" Jerry said. The trio looked at him. Jerry pulled out a USB. "As a token of my appreciation... I took this off the recruiter during the fight. I don't know what's on it, but I figure once you crack Codex's encryption, it might take you where you want to go." Jerry said as Russ grabbed the USB, surprised, and smiled and he hugged Jerry. "Thank you." Russ said, grateful, maybe even hopeful. "I've never seen him do that." Bozer whispered to Mariah. "He's only ever hugged me." Mariah whispered. "Thank you." Russ repeated. Russ let go. The bus soon arrived. "Well, that's me." Jerry said as he walked away. "You know, Jerry." Russ turned to Jerry, causing him to stop. "We could use you at the Phoenix Foundation." Russ said as Mariah smiled. "Ah, I'm honored, but, uh, I think I'm going to try working alone now for a while. You know, as Elvis Presley once said, "You gotta follow that dream wherever that dream may lead." So, uh, I'll see you on the flip side, and God bless the King." Jerry said. "It's an open invitation." Mariah added, and Russ smiled, signaling he agreed. "I appreciate it, sister." Jerry said. "See you in another life, brother." Mariah said, smiling as Jerry got on the bus. The trio smiled and waved. "Cheerio!" Russ yelled as the bus pulled away. 

They went back to the Phoenix. Russ and Mariah decided to look at the USB that Jerry gave them. Matty also filled the trio in on what happened with her mentor. Matty said that her mentor was doing better, and so was the staff after someone used sonic weapons to cause the "bends", or a buildup of gas in the blood, in the people in order to gain access to Cold War research. It was well into the night by the time Russ and Mariah stopped, thinking about what they learned, glasses of alcohol in hand. They were sitting on the sofas, well Mariah was. Russ was slouching. Mac came in and gave then a stern look. "What are you two still doing here? We have a debrief in the morning. Go home." Mac said. "This is our home." Russ said, a bit drunk. Mariah gave a hint of a smile. Mac shut the door and walked over, seeing the whiskey bottle on the table, and picked it up. "This is the good stuff. Really good stuff, isn't it?" Mac questioned. "Yep." Mariah said, taking a swig. "When this was made, 18 years ago... I didn't know there was such a thing as Codex." Russ said. He took a breath. "Sometimes I wish I could go back." Russ said though Mariah knew what he meant. "Taylors, what's going on?" Mac asked. Russ and Mariah looked at each other, knowing they had to tell Mac what they found. Russ sat up. "Well, we already knew Codex was reaching out to the old cells, seeing who wanted to get the gang back together." Russ took a sip of his drink. "Right. And the only real threat was the nerve agent, but we dealt with that." Mac said. "Yes. And thanks to their comms encryptions, which, unfortunately, they've changed, we've been able to map out exactly who they've been reaching out to." Russ said as he handed Mac the USB and pulled up a map with the intel. The couple stood up, revealing the entire U.S in red, and more getting covered by the red. "All the old cells." Russ sighed. The map covered completely in red. "The fanatics. The sleepers in government, law enforcement. The military." Russ said. "They called everyone." Mac realized. "It's a worldwide wake-up call. We'll be facing enemies we won't see coming." Mariah said, not liking this at all. "We can't trust anyone." Russ said. Mariah could see Mac was anxious about the news. Mariah took a sip of her drink and set it down on the table. She sighed and rubbed her face. "Ugh, I was really hoping Codex was done. These bastards are like cockroaches, they never die." Mariah muttered, obviously upset. Codex was officially back in play. And this wasn't going to be good.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hoped you enjoyed this chapter! This was really fun to write! Now, time for the episode review:
> 
> I really enjoyed this episode! It was really nice seeing the team in the light we did in this episode. While I'm a little mad that we didn't get Russ saying "See you in another life, brother." To Jerry, I'm glad we got to see a bit of a softer side to Russ. And, I love seeing him fight. I also liked the reveal of how much Codex has spread. I have no idea what the Codex storyline will do now. 
> 
> I saw the promo and the sneak peeks for this week's episode, and it's got me scared as HELL! I really am hoping nothing too bad happens, but that's probably gonna happen. 
> 
> Once again, I hope you enjoy this chapter! Let me know what you think. Thank you for all the love on this series! Much love! Stay safe!
> 
> Kaylee
> 
> Published: 2/1


	9. Rails + Pitons + Pulley + Pipe + Salt (5x9)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things go haywire for the team when after a mission that nearly went wrong, they discover that someone is about to get their hands on a DoD hard drive that contains the locations of military bases in Uzbekistan. So it's up to Mac, Riley, and Desi to go and stop what's happening, which unfortunately ends in the drive falling into the bad guy's hands. Also, unfortunately, they discover that the tower that being is used to transmit the data is up a high, sheer cliff face, leading to Mac having to use their truck to make improvised climbing gear.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello guys! This episode was so exciting to watch! I also may have recorded my reaction to the episode (Hint hint) and uploaded it to Youtube (hint hint) under my regular Youtube channel named Kaylee Santell. So, if you're curious as to what it's like when I watch MacGyver, you're about to find out. Either way, I'm super excited for this episode and how it'll turn out! Without further adieu, here is episode 9 of season 5.

Of course, the mission had to go haywire. Cause this team couldn't catch a damn break. Desi, Riley, and Mac were out in the field. Mariah, Russ, Matty, and a fully healed Bozer were at the war room, having lost comms for some reason. They had no idea Mac was freaking out because Desi had been trapped in a room and losing oxygen. Russ had left to talk with the techs to see about getting the comms back and came back soon after, obviously distressed.

"Did you hear from them?" Russ asked. 

"They're still off comms." Matty said. 

"Please, just give us something, anything." Mariah whispered, hoping to hear from them again.

Soon, they had heard from the trio. Desi was okay, and Mac, Riley, and Desi soon were on the jet back home. Soon, however, they got a call from the DoD, saying they had an urgent business that needed to get taken care of. Russ was sitting on the arm of the recliner, tablet in hand, Mariah beside him, then Matty, and Bozer had his tablet. Bozer called Riley's laptop and she answered. 

"Hey, Matty, what's up? We're heading back now." Riley said over the comms. 

"You're not coming home just yet. We just received a priority red request from the DoD." Matty said. 

"Sending the info now." Russ said. 

The trio in the plane got the info. 

"This is Jace Olson. He's a courier for the Department of Defense." Matty said. 

Mariah grabbed the tablet from Russ and pulled up another image.

"This is the Marine assigned to protect him, PFC Marcus Gonzalez. 30 minutes ago, they were driving through Uzbekistan backcountry, transporting an encrypted hard drive containing the force deployments of several secret U.S bases." Mariah explained, pulling up the image of the hard drive. 

"They're driving alone?" Riley questioned. 

"Well, one car is a lower profile than a secure motorcade or an aircraft, and hard drives can't be hacked remotely. I saw this technique in Afghanistan. Sometimes old-school is best." Mac pointed out. 

"Yes, well, Olson and his driver were bound for the Strategic Command in Turkmenistan, but then the DoD lost track of them." Russ said, grabbing the tablet from Mariah and pulling up the location on the big screen. 

"And now the emergency beacon from Olson's pouch has been triggered and is transmitting from deep within Uzbekistan." Russ continued. 

"Foul play?" Desi asked. 

"Could be. Or just a communication breakdown. All we know is that if U.S enemies get that hard drive, thousands of American soldiers will be at risk." Bozer said. 

"Yeah, and U.S-Uzbek relations are dicey, so I'm guessing the Defense Department doesn't want to dump a bunch of troops in their backyard." Mac pointed out. 

"And we're already close." Riley added. 

"And plausibly deniable. If you're caught, the U.S government will say they know nothing of the actions of this independent agency run by a notorious mercenary." Russ said. 

Mariah looked at him. 

"And?" Mariah smiled at him. 

"And his equally notorious and feisty wife." Russ joked with Mariah as Mariah smiled back. 

"Damn right." Mariah chuckled at herself as Russ smiled.

"So, you charge extra for us being expendable?" Mac asked. 

"Well, I don't mind the payday, but it's more than that. When I was with the S.A.S, I ran joint missions with U.S forces from those bases. I served with some good men out there. Just want to keep them alive." Russ said, looking at the team. 

Mac, Riley, and Desi all nodded in agreement. 

"We're with you." Desi said. 

"Yeah. So, our objective is to find the courier and recover the hard drive as fast as possible." Mac said. 

"Yes, but the problem is, as a private jet entering Uzbekistan airspace without permission, you will get shot down." Matty explained. 

"So you'll need to land closer to the border." Russ said. 

"Which puts us how far from the target?" Desi questioned. 

"30 miles." Mariah answered. 

The trio on the plane didn't like that. They arrived in Kazakhstan, close as they could to the border. The trio was walking, making their way to the location. 

"30 miles? These boots weren't made for that much walking." Riley said.

"Guessing Uber might take a while." Desi said. 

"Hey, Boze, what do we have to work with?" Mac asked.

"A'ight, scanning the area. Toxic dumpsite, abandoned gravel quarry, and close to you is a... goat ranch?" Bozer said. looking at his tablet. 

"That sounds promising." Mac said. 

"Because goats?" Bozer questioned.

"What? No. Farm equipment." Mac said.

Soon, Riley, Desi, and Mac all arrived at the goat farm. 

"Not a lot of goats. Or anything." Riley said. 

"Why would anyone want to live out here in the middle of nowhere?" Desi questioned. 

"Well, it wasn't always like this. This spot used to be right on the shoreline of the Aral Sea, the world's fourth-largest lake, right up until the Soviets diverted so much water for farming they drained it dry. Now the water's gone, but the whole area's riddled with abandoned irrigation canals and old fish-packing plants." Mac explained. 

"Well, owners aren't here. Looks like they took all their farm equipment, too." Riley pointed out.

Bozer got on his tablet.

"There are some old train tracks near you. They pass close to the courier's beacon, but they haven't been used in 40 years." Bozer informed Mac. 

"At least the tracks will be abandoned, so they don't have to worry about traffic." Mariah pointed out. 

"Yes, not to mention you'd need a little something called a train." Russ said, looking at everyone. 

"Well, yeah, but I can build one of those." Mac said as if it was obvious. 

"Build a train?" Russ said, chuckling, along with Mariah, causing Bozer to look at him silently saying he wasn't surprised. 

"I'm actually rather sad that I'm not gonna be there to see that one." Russ said. 

"There's another option." Desi said. Mariah swore she heard horses neighing from Desi's comm. 

"Brown one looks way too old to ride. Three people on one horse?" Riley said. 

"Nope. I'll scout ahead while Mac builds the train." Desi said. 

"Actually, I think you should stay with us." Mac said. 

"No, not with this many lives on the line. Desi, go. Mac, make that vehicle." Matty ordered, not liking it. 

"All right." Mac said, reluctant. 

Soon, Desi was on the horse and Riley was searching for something to help Mac. 

"Just scout, okay? I already almost lost you once today." Mac said, worried about Desi. 

"I'll be fine. Huh? Besides, I'm the cavalry riding to the rescue. How could I pass that up?" Desi said, comforting Mac as she smacked her lips to get the horse to go. 

"Found the farm equipment." Riley called to Mac. 

Bozer saw something on the tablet. 

"Guys, I'm picking up some movement." Bozer pulled up the image and Mariah saw it was a truck convoy. 

"It's a truck convoy. Looks like they're headed to the courier's last known location." Bozer said. 

"Well, we should warn Desi." Russ said. 

"That's not a good idea." Bozer pointed out, causing Russ and Mariah to look at him. 

"They can't crack the signal, can they?" Mariah pointed out. 

"That's not the problem. There wouldn't be much radio chatter in a place that remote." Bozer explained. 

"Bozer's right. If they're listening, a strange signal would stand out. They could use it to track Desi." Riley continued explaining. 

"Bozer cut the comms." Matty ordered. Bozer tapped on the tablet and cut the comms. 

After some time of monitoring the comms, Mac and Riley were off after Desi. And the group in the war room was still looking at the screen. 

"Mac and Riley still have a ways to go." Bozer pointed out. 

"I wish I could say the same thing about those vehicles." Russ said. 

"And Desi's out there somewhere, alone." Matty said. 

Russ had a look on his face and walked up to the screen, and Mariah wasn't far behind him. 

"Babe, you got that look again." Mariah told Russ. 

Russ faced Mariah. 

"What look?" Russ asked, smiling slightly. 

"The one that tells me that the gears are turning in the big brain of yours and you've got something to share with the rest of the class." Mariah chuckled slightly at Russ. 

Russ turned back to the screen and started thinking. 

"The closest Uzbek military bases are here and here." Russ pointed to the green dots on the screen. 

"Those vehicles are coming from the wrong direction. They couldn't travel that far that fast. There's no way that is the army." Russ explained. 

The Phoenix team's blue dot was on the opposite side of the bases, and Olson's beacon was underneath the base on the left. 

"But if those guys aren't local military, they're..." Bozer said. 

"Someone else. Someone else with the resources and the skill to launch a well-armed covert operation in a hostile theater." Russ said, walking beside Bozer. 

"Who could that be?" Bozer asked. 

"I have some ideas. None of them good." Mariah said, not liking the ideas coming to her. 

They saw as the tracker went closer to where Olson's beacon went off. It was still quiet until they saw a car blowing up and the convoy leaving, worrying Mariah. Just then, the comms beeped. 

"I think our cover is effectively blown. I'm back on comms. You guys catch the show?" Mac said. 

"Yes, couldn't miss it. Status?" Russ said. 

"The courier's safe. But the mercs who killed Private Gonzalez, well, they stole the hard drive." Desi reported. 

"I'll track their vehicles." Bozer said, getting on the tablet. 

"I'll have the DoD red flag all the roads, flights, and trains out of Uzbekistan." Mariah said, getting on her tablet. 

"Whoever's doing this, they're not gonna be able to transport that hard drive out of the country." Matty said as Russ grabbed his tablet off the table. 

"Mac. There's something in the mercs' truck that I think you should see." Desi said. 

Soon, Mac said what was in the truck. 

"Oscilloscope? With a high-speed linkup? Well, this is not good." Mac said. 

"So, the drive -- hardware and software encrypted?" Mac asked Olson. 

"Yeah." Olson answered. 

"Okay, so think of this drive like a locked box with the secrets inside. The, um, hardware encryption is the locked box, the troop info, the digital secrets inside. Now, this equipment allows one to crack open the hardware encryption. To crack open the box." Mac explained.

"But they're gonna need a signal relay to transmit the data. A fat one. Bozer?" Riley pointed out. 

Mariah was on the arm of the chair, Russ was sitting on the chair, and Matty and Bozer were standing. Bozer was already tapping on the tablet. 

"Already checking. And... got it. There's one high-volume data relay tower in the area." Bozer said, showing the location on the screen. 

"I can disable it to stop the transmission. Send me the tower location.." Mac said. 

"Okay, but you're not gonna like it." Bozer said. 

Bozer sent the location and after a while, the team on the ground arrived. There was a huge cliff in the way of getting to the tower. Mac sighed. 

"Does anyone else feel queasy? Cause I do." Mac said, a bit nervous. 

"Matty, please tell me there's like, stairs, or a road, or, I don't know, an escalator." Riley said. 

Matty looked at the map. 

"Okay, it looks like there is a road up to that tower, but it's on the other side of that ridge and it's completely inaccessible, which means..." Matty reported. 

"We got to climb that rock face." Mac said, not wanting to do that. 

It went silent for a moment. 

"You made only one harness." Desi said. 

"There was only enough material for one. That's why it's got to be me who climbs the cliff." Mac said. 

"That cliff?" Desi questioned, wondering if Mac was serious. 

"It's the quickest way from A to B." Mac said. 

"It's the quickest way to die." Riley said, not happy with Mac. 

"You could just say good luck." Mac said. 

"You're gonna need a lot more than luck." Desi said.

Mac started climbing. Desi was calling out positions and Riley left to get Olson back to the border. 

"Dropped Olson as close as I could to the border." Riley said, a bit breathless from walking.

"Okay, I'll have our tac team extract him. Mac? How you doing?" Matty said. 

"Uh, hanging in there." Mac said, a bit of anxiety in his voice. 

Russ stood up. 

"You built the safety gear, right?" Russ asked. 

"Out of truck parts. So safety is a relative term, I guess." Mac said. 

"Any news on the mercs?" Desi asked. 

"Backtracking the route Taylor noticed when we first spotted them, we got a signal. Records say it's in a abandoned fish cannery four miles due east of you." Bozer said as Russ looked at the tablet and Mariah stood up. 

"Given the dearth of radio activity in the area, we believe this is them." Matty reported. 

"Even if Mac stops the transmission, they'll still have the drive. We can't watch the border forever. They'll eventually find a way through and find another relay." Russ said. 

"Okay, so while Mac climbs, Riley and I will go get the drive back." Desi said. 

"You're gonna need my help and I'm halfway up the mountain. It's gonna take me a second to get down." Mac said. 

"Mac, we have to move on this now or we miss our shot." Mariah said, not liking the choice they had to make. 

"As long as they have the drive, our soldiers are not safe." Russ said. 

"So you're just gonna leave me hanging?" Mac asked, wondering if they were serious. 

"You can do this on your own. We still need you to stop that transmission." Desi said. 

"All right." Mac said. 

Mariah knew why Mac was acting how he was. He was trying to protect the people he had left. Riley, Desi, Bozer were all really that Mac had left. Mac couldn't save his dad, he couldn't save Gwen, he couldn't save Jack. He needed to be the guy who puts himself in danger and enters the room first. In their line of work, that was not a good place to be. This was clear. Mariah's thoughts were interrupted with Mac realizing something about the cliff he was climbing. 

"That's not rock. It's wood." Mac said. 

"How's the altitude up there? You hallucinating?" Bozer asked. 

"No." Mac said as he grunted, climbing over. 

"Oh, it's a mineshaft!" Mac exclaimed before laughing. 

"Probably a relic from the Cold War. I'll try to find schematics." Bozer said. 

Mac grunted as he got in the mineshaft. 

"Maybe... I don't have to climb up to the transmission tower. Maybe I can just walk up." Mac said, a bit perkier. 

"Well, somebody's in a better mood." Russ said. 

"See, guys? That's what I'm talking about. You face your fears, sometimes you get rewarded with a nice, easy..." Mac got quiet at the end. "...Way out." Mac said, his mood changing quickly. 

Mac sighed. 

"I found those schematics." Bozer said as Mac started climbing. 

"Good news: the mineshaft you're in will lead you to the tower. Bad news: you still have to climb about two football fields to get there." Bozer reported, feeling bad for Mac.

Mac exhaled loudly, obviously not happy. 

"Super." Mac said. 

"Sorry, man. Don't kill the messenger." Bozer said. 

Mac muttered something as Bozer kept looking at the schematics. 

"Hold on, I may have a Hail Mary for you. There's a control room for the transmission tower so you don't have to get all the way to the top. Should be off the shaft you're climbing." Bozer said. 

"Now we're talking." Mac said, his mood a bit better. 

"And that's only one football field away." Bozer said. 

Mariah felt really bad for him. Soon, Riley and Desi arrived at the cannery. 

"Uh, that does not look abandoned." Riley said. 

"There's too many to take in a fight. We're gonna have to go stealth." Desi pointed out. 

"Yeah. I'm gonna hack their comms, see if I can gain an advantage." Riley said. 

Riley went silent. 

"What is it?" Desi asked Riley. 

"Something in their code. Guys, check this out." Riley said before sending the transmission to the war room and showing it on the big screen. 

Everyone was standing up. There were symbols in the code. 

"I know those symbols." Russ said. 

"Son of a bitch. These aren't just any normal mercenaries." Mariah said, not liking seeing the code, as the last time she saw it was a year ago when things started going south. 

"It's Codex." Matty realized. 

"Riley and Desi are going up against Codex without me?" Mac questioned, obviously not happy with the development. 

"Don't worry. We'll be fine." Desi tried to comfort Mac. 

"This is Codex we're talking out. The world's deadliest terror cell. Do not underestimate them." Mac went off. 

Russ rubbed his face, also not liking the development and Mariah held his hand, squeezing it to know it was okay. Desi and Riley went to get into the building. Russ picked up the tablet off the table and muted the comms. 

"Mac's breathing is rapidly escalating and there's a tremor in his voice." Russ pointed. 

"I know. Halfway up a mine shaft is no place for a panic attack." Matty said. 

"Can you blame the kid? I would be too if I was in his place." Mariah pointed out, worried about Mac. 

"There is one solution." Bozer said. 

"What?" Russ asked Bozer. 

"Me." Bozer said. 

He unmuted the comms and walked to the side for privacy. 

"Hey, man, let's talk. How you doing over there?" Bozer asked as Russ, Mariah, and Matty sat the tablets on the table and walked to the other side.

Russ sat on the arm of the couch. 

"How on earth... are Codex reforming? We destroyed all of Leland's hard drives, denied him access to his hidden funds, his infrastructure. I myself put a drill through all the drives. We left him a fugitive with nothing but the clothes on his back" Russ said. 

"And what's strange is this doesn't even fit Codex's previous patterns. I mean, their whole agenda is to save the world from climate catastrophe. How does learning about secret U.S bases help them achieve that goal?" Matty pointed out. 

"Unless the goal's changed. Well, Leland's too bloody-minded for that. Doesn't add up." Russ said. 

"We're missing something big." Mariah said. 

Riley and Desi had found the drive and made a plan to retrieve it. Mac was heard grunting as he kept climbing. 

"Not much work to do on this side." Mac said. 

It was obvious Bozer was worried about Mac. 

"Wait, yeah. Okay. I see a... a better path. It's on the opposite wall." Mac said. 

"You got this." Bozer said. 

Mac kept grunting and panted, then started panting rapidly. 

"It's no use. I can't reach it." Mac said. 

At the cannery, Desi and Riley took care of the goons that had the hard drive, but a shot rang out, losing the element of surprise. 

"God, I knew it. They're in trouble!" Mac exclaimed as he started grunting, sounding like he was falling. 

Riley grabbed the drive. Mac was panting, recovering. 

"You know... there's another foothold. If I can reach it, I might be able to push off to grab the handhold. And that would mean... unhooking my safety line and free climbing my way up." Mac said, still breathing heavily. 

"Okay, gonna stop you there." Bozer said, worried. 

"I just realized, I'm down to my last cable, and it's too short. I don't have a choice." Mac said. 

Mariah was holding her breath. 

"Here goes." Mac said. 

He unhooked himself and exhaled and made it to the foot and handhold. Back at the cannery, Desi got caught and shot at, but she was in cover. She decided to surrender and trusted Riley to get her out. This was not good. The guards took Desi to meet someone named Finch. Desi was sat and tied to a chair. 

"Let me guess. You're Finch." Desi said. 

Her captor interrogated her, wanting to know where MacGyver was. Desi said they split up and she had no idea where he was. Then Finch revealed he had several truth drugs and he killed the last 3 guys he tried it on. 

"Okay, guys, Desi's running out of time and I'm seriously outgunned. Can you give me an assist or what?" Riley reported in. 

In the war room, Bozer had sat down on the other armchair, and Mariah, Matty, and Russ were standing. 

"Sorry, Riley, I've tried all our friends in the region. No support teams can get to you fast enough." Bozer said. 

"So it looks like you're on your own, Riley. Is there something you can hack there?" Russ said. 

"What? No, no. This is a cannery abandoned in 1982. There's gears and pulleys and a couple tons of salt. I'm set for margaritas, but not for getting Desi out of this." Riley said. 

Russ sat back down. 

"Should we, um, should be loop Mac in?" Russ asked. 

"No. No, no. Mac needs to focus. I can do this. Desi trusted me. I got this." Riley said. 

This was definitely not good. 

"What was Desi thinking?!" Mac exclaimed as he hit a piton in the wall. 

Bozer stood up. 

"Mac, take your time." Bozer said, trying to calm Mac down. 

"No, I need to go faster. I need to get to the..." Mac said when Bozer cut him off. 

"No, Mac. Slow down and talk to me." Bozer said. 

Just then, Mac was heard grunting and showing and groaning in pain, as it sounded like he fell, causing Mariah's stomach to drop and her heart to stop. 

"Mac!" Bozer yelled, wanting to know if Mac was okay. 

"Mac! Say something, please!" Mariah said, as she heard Mac grunting more. 

Mariah and Bozer looked at each other, knowing Mac was upset and he needed Bozer now more than ever. 

"But, hey, you've never been big on talking, right? All those years, growing up, crashing at my house, I knew you wanted to talk, about your mom dying, your dad being gone, how it made you feel. But you couldn't, so... I talked. But now I need you to return the favor. All those years I never asked you to talk, now I am. You tell me... why can't you slow down?" Bozer said. 

Mac groaned as he started climbing again. 

"Because I can't lose them!" Mac exclaimed, still upset. 

"I get it. I get that, Mac. But listen to me, you can't help Desi and Riley if you don't help yourself. Okay, for the next five seconds, stop being a hero. And find that one next thing to hold on to." Bozer said. 

Mariah walked next to Bozer and took a breath to calm herself. 

"Mac. Remember what I told you before you went after Codex?" Mariah asked Mac, trying to calm him down more. 

"Yeah." Mac said, grunting as he kept climbing. 

"I said that you had to put the oxygen mask on yourself first. You always put the oxygen mask on the people you care about first. But just this one time, this one time, I want you to put the oxygen mask on yourself first. Because Desi and Riley need you, Mac. Just as much as you need them. And they need you alive, Mac. I need you alive. So, please... slow down and put the oxygen mask on yourself, Mac." Mariah said, getting a bit emotional as she closed her eyes and breathed in. 

Mariah heard the grunting and climbing stopped. 

"Hey, Boze?" Mac said. 

"Yeah, Mac?" Bozer said. 

"Just keep talking, okay, buddy?" Mac said. 

"Yeah." Bozer said. 

"And Mariah?" Mac said, causing Mariah to perk up. 

"Yeah, Mac." Mariah said. 

"Thank you." Mac said simply. 

Mariah smiled. 

"No problem, kid." Mariah said. 

Just as Finch went to dose Desi, he realized that Desi was stalling. He sent a team to the relay tower. 

"Riley, what did you come up with?" Matty asked Riley. 

"Uh, a crowbar." Riley answered. 

"A crowbar? Like, a-a regular piece of steel, crowbar?" Russ questioned Riley. 

"Taylor, don't doubt me, okay?" Riley said before straining could be heard. 

"Okay, you can doubt me." Riley said, straining. 

"Riley!" Mariah called out before hearing something slam. 

"Riley? What was that?" Matty asked. 

"A baller-ass move I really wish you saw. But, uh, more importantly, I just had an idea." Riley said, getting her breath. 

"I write code. Coding is just a much of complicated if/then statements." Riley said. 

"Right, but there are no computers where you are." Matty pointed out. 

"Yeah, yeah, I know, but if I hit a lever, and then the gears and pulleys, I should be able to program them to do whatever I want, right?" Riley explained her idea. 

Mariah smiled. 

"That is so nerdy." Russ said, impressed. 

Mac soon reported in, saying that Codex was there and then gunshots were heard. 

"You got to make it to the control room, Mac." Bozer said, getting worried. 

"Oh, sure, no biggie. As if it wasn't hard enough without the bullets." Mac said sarcastically as grunting was heard. 

"I made it." Mac said, recovering. 

"We did it!" Bozer yelled, putting his arms up in excitement. Mariah and Matty both sighed in relief. 

"Mostly you." Bozer said, putting his arms down.

"Thanks, Boze. Thanks, Mariah. Couldn't have done it without you." Mac said as Bozer laughed and Russ was relieved. 

"Let's see what we're working with." Mac said. 

He went silent for a moment. 

"Hold your breath, everyone." Mac said. 

Everyone in the war room held their breath as they waited for Mac to say something. They heard him sigh. 

"We stopped the upload." Mac reported. 

Russ's eyes went wide and Mariah exhaled. 

"Great job, Mac." Matty said. 

"Now get out of there." Russ said, knowing Mac wasn't entirely out of the woods yet. 

"Yeah, I-I'm not gonna do that." Mac said. 

"Come again?" Bozer said. 

"Why the hell not?" Mariah asked.

"Look, we know that Codex is reforming. And this cell was transmitting valuable intel, so it stands to reason that they were sending it to a central command." Mac pointed out. 

"Leland." Russ realized. 

"Exactly. If we trace this signal, it's our chance to find him and stop Codex once and for all." Mac explained. 

"Access the tower's digital logs and find out where it was sending the intel." Bozer said. 

"Okay, I'll mobilize a tac team. Get there location." Matty ordered. 

Mac sighed. 

"Okay." Mac said. 

It was a minute before Mac spoke up. 

"Uploading the digital logs now." Mac said. 

Mariah and Russ were on both sides of Bozer, looking at the tablet. "Got 'em. I'll track the I.P address to get a physical location." Bozer said and did. 

"379 Pinedale Drive, South Gate." Russ said. 

"I'll have our tac team meet you there." Matty said as Russ went to leave with Mariah. 

"Right, tell them to hurry because I drive fast. Bozer? Darling?" Russ said, opening the door. 

"I want to be there for this." Bozer said, leaving. 

"I wouldn't want to miss this." Mariah said, leaving as well. 

They got in the van and drove to the location and met up with the tac team at the location. Bozer got the signal traced and the tac team, led by Mariah, went in. 

"We traced the signal to Leland's location. Tac team's on the move." Bozer reported to Matty. 

"Copy that. Let us know the moment you find him." Matty ordered. 

Mariah lead the tac team and Russ into the building and saw some equipment. The room looked like it had been torched. Then there was a skeleton on the ground, causing Mariah to gasp. 

"Bozer, Taylors, did you find Leland?" Matty questioned. 

"We sure did." Bozer said. 

"Slight problem, Matty. We got a body here. Looks like a male skeleton, but he's burned to a crisp." Mariah reported, standing in the dark room, looking at the body. 

"We'll pull dental to verify." Bozer said. 

Mariah had to tac team finish a sweep, then had a team come in to get the body. They took the body back to the Phoenix and had the lab analyze the body. It was night by the time they got the report, which confirmed that indeed the body was Leland. Matty met with Russ and Mariah in the war room. Russ sat down on the chair with a glass of scotch and Mariah sat in the chair next to him.

"Today was a victory but a temporary one. With Leland dead, we're still no closer to stopping Codex." Matty said, bittersweetly. 

"As my wife said, we're missing something." Russ said, spinning the glass on the arm of the chair. 

"You said the body was burned." Matty turned to the couple. 

"Yeah, but that didn't kill him." Mariah said. 

Russ leaned to the tablet on the table and pulled up the report. 

"7.62 NATO round. It's a sniper's bullet." Russ said, leaning back in the chair. 

"That shot was probably taken from a thousand meters away. Whoever fired the shot put it right through his aorta. Millimeter precision. Then they burned the body." Mariah filled in. 

"That's not just a kill. That's a message." Russ said, taking a sip of his drink. 

Matty turned back towards the team. 

"Did the lab estimate a time of death?" Matty asked. 

"They said he'd been dead for about 24 hours." Russ said. 

"So maybe the order to capture the courier's drive didn't come from Leland after all." Matty said.

Mariah realized where this was going. 

"Well, that would explain why their plan bore no relation to the original mission." Russ sat forward. 

"They don't care about the original mission." Russ said. 

"Because "they" is someone different." Matty said. 

Mariah saw the lightbulb moment Russ had. 

"I don't think anyone had full control yet. You know, I've been in countries where there's been a power struggle once it collapses, and that's what this stinks of." Russ said. 

"Very public execution of the old leader, sending a message. Factions psyching each other out, establishing their worthiness of being a leader." Mariah continued, not liking the situation. 

"It's Codex 2.0. We need to figure out who these people are and what's going on." Matty said. 

"Before Codex rises again." Russ said. 

They looked back at the screen.

"This is bad. I've been in those same warzones this stinks of. Usually, they end with a lot of people dying." Mariah said, exhaling to calm herself. 

This was so much worse than Mariah predicted. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you liked this chapter! This was a fun chapter to write! So, here is the episodic review:
> 
> So, as much as I enjoyed Lucas's acting in this episode and Tristen's acting, and as much as I loved Russ in this episode (I mean, who gave Henry Ian Cusick the right to look that hot with that shirt!) and his reactions to Mac being okay and Riley's improvisation, I had a problem with Desi's character this episode. Don't get me wrong, this has nothing to do with Levi's acting. She was amazing as always. But Desi was so inconsistent in this episode. For one, she had trust in Riley, even though she didn't trust Riley earlier. She didn't give any encouragement to Mac as he was facing his fear of heights climbing a cliff face with improvised equipment. I'm hoping that since that was the last episode featuring PL, from now on we'll see more consistent character development and much better treatment of the characters, especially given we're getting a trans character in Parker. I really hope they don't mess that up!
> 
> So, the next episode is gonna be good! Murdoc is officially back! And Andrews! Blackmailing! Secrets! It's gonna be awesome, but I'm scared! It certainly will be a good episode. Also, let me know how you like this format. With all that out of the way, thank you so much for your support! Much love to you all! Stay safe!
> 
> Kaylee


	10. Diamond + Quake + Carbon + Comms + Tower (5x10)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The team is in for one Hell of a ride when they discover Mac's enemy Murdoc has teamed up with Andrews, luring Mac, Riley, and Desi to Mexico City with the location of the Codex wake-up call. Along the way, the team discovers that Murdoc hacked their comms and has been listening to their private conversations for 3 months. The team's deepest secrets are released, forcing the team to learn some painful truths about one another.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Holy Hell was that an awesome episode! I can't wait to show you guys what I came up with for this episode! It's gonna be intense! Well, I won't keep you waiting. Here is chapter 10 of season 5!

Mariah was at the Phoenix, filing out more boring paperwork late at night. She got a call on her cell and stepped away. She went into the office nearby and saw Mac was calling her. She answered it. 

"Hey, Mac." Mariah answered. 

"Hi." Mac said, though he sounded off. 

"What's going on?" Mariah asked. 

"I..." Mac tried to speak but seemed to struggle with the words. 

"Mac, what is it?" Mariah asked again. 

Mariah heard him take a breath. 

"Mariah, I need some of that mom advice you like to give." Mac said, admitting the reason. 

"Oh. That bad, huh?" Mariah said, realizing what Mac meant. 

"Not bad, just... confusing." Mac said.

"What kind of advice you need?" Mariah asked. 

"The kind of advice that deals with relationships and when to move to the next step." Mac said, sighing. 

Mariah got wide eyed. 

"Oh. That kind. Okay." Mariah took a breath, thinking. 

"Well, if you want to take the next step, and I'm assuming you mean marriage, you both have to be ready. Ready to be more open, honest, and true to yourself. Look, I may not be the best example of a relationship. Do you really want my advice?" Mariah said, unsure of herself. 

"Of course. You're the only person I really know to ask." Mac said. 

"Good point." Mariah took another breath.

"Look, most people will say that marriage is a piece of paper, and that's not true. Marriage is all about compromising and apologizing. And sticking to those vows. And sometimes it's hard. Especially in this life. It's easy to lie and go through the motions and pretend. And it's a commitment. And it can be scary. I got lucky." Mariah said, smiling a bit as she thought of her and Russ's wedding night. 

"You sure about that?" Mac joked, chucking, causing Mariah to chuckle. 

"All right, smart ass." Mariah chuckled. 

"I know me and Russ's relationship isn't normal. I mean, I moved in with him three days after meeting him, then married him seven and a half months later. I may have gone fast in my relationship with Russ, but I've never regretted it. And believe me, I've been in some doozies. Point is, you have to be absolutely sure both of you are ready to take that next step. Understand?" Mariah said. 

"I understand." Mac said. 

"Okay." Mariah said. 

She hung up the phone. 

The next morning, Russ was bringing in boxes of stuff and was a little...disheveled. While Mariah thought it was adorable to see him like that, what Russ was doing was no laughing matter. She had Matty text the team to have them come in. Russ and Mariah had been taping photos and other things up on boards in the war room, going through old intel on Codex. Mariah was trying to organize the mess of papers on the desk Russ brought in. Russ pinned a paper on the board across from the door, as Mac, Riley, Desi, and Bozer came in. 

"Woah. Taylors." Riley said, causing Russ and Mariah to turn. 

"Love what you've done with the place." Riley said. 

"Oh, good. You're here." Russ said, rubbing his hands together as Mariah smiled. 

"What is all of this stuff?" Desi asked as the team walked around a bit. 

"These are documents and files confiscated from Codex's bunker in Montana." Russ said as the team gathered around the table. 

"I, uh... I can process it more efficiently if I spread it out ahead of me. You know? That way, I can see the-the bigger picture at once." Russ said. 

Mariah chuckled a bit. 

"Cool, but why? And where's Matty?" Bozer asked, not having it. 

Just then someone came in with a cart of boxes. 

"Um, just, uh, tape those up there on the wall for me, would you, darling?" Russ said to the guy as he started to do just that. 

"Uh, Matty. Yes, of course. I'm getting ahead of myself. Ah!" Russ said as he grabbed the tablet and Mariah just shook her head and Russ chuckled.

He brought up the video call for Matty. 

"Matty, you're on. The team's here." Mariah said. 

"Hey, all, I'm out of town handling some unfinished business, but something's come up and it can't wait for me to get back. For weeks, Phoenix has been working around the clock to decipher a message sent by whoever is pulling the strings at Codex to all of its cell leaders." Matty started the briefing. 

"The worldwide wake-up call." Mac said, looking at the screen. 

"Exactly right. And just this morning I managed to crack their code." Russ started walking up to the front of the team. 

"Unfortunately, this happened once Russ finally cracked it." Mariah said as Russ pulled up the image of the code. 

"It was a code within a code?" Riley questioned. 

"Well, that sucks." Desi said, giving the "Seriously" tone. 

"Yes. Donkeys. The message is compromised of variations of the astronomical symbol for Earth, which Codex has used in the past. But these little buggers, I've never seen them before." Russ said.

"Hence all the stuff from their bunker. You're looking for past uses of these characters to crack the code. Yeah." Mac explained. 

"Yes, and while we work to solve the message, we do have another actionable lead about where the message was sent from. Mexico City." Matty pulled up the location on the map. 

"Yes, specifically, Plaza Loreto." Russ said, zooming on the specific location. 

"That message could've been sent from any one of those buildings." Riley pointed out. 

"Could that be the location of Codex's new headquarters?" Desi asked out loud. 

"It's one theory. But, until we find another theory that proves otherwise, we just don't know. But, we have to find out before any deadly plans they have are executed." Mariah turned to Desi. 

"Bozer, I want you working with the Taylors to crack the code. Mac, Riley, Desi, you're wheels up to Mexico City." Matty ordered. 

The trio left and got comms set up and their gear. Mariah started looking at the stuff with Russ as Bozer left to check on the trio. Soon, they were at the Plaza and were on the lookout. After some time, Mac came on comms. 

"East side of the plaza is clear. How's everyone else?" Mac asked. 

"West side is clear." Desi reported. 

"No matches to any known Codex associates or anyone with a connection to a Codex associate." Riley reported. 

"Riley, if you get a match, call it out. We'll follow on satellite as you tail them back to where the message was sent from." Matty ordered. 

"Got it." Riley said. 

"Copy." Desi said. 

"Copy that." Mac said. 

"Russ, Mariah, any luck cracking what it says?" Desi asked. 

Russ was at one of the boards in the back of the room, Mariah and Bozer were looking through the many boxes of files Russ brought out. 

"Not yet. The message certainly looks like Codex's language, but we can't find any evidence of these specific characters in any of their communications." Russ said. 

"Is it possible that they've evolved their symbology since Phoenix raided their bunker?" Mac asked. 

"Sure, but until we have proof of otherwise..." Mariah said, still looking through the files. 

Soon, Matty reported something was up with Mac's comm, but Desi asked him about it. Mac said it was just comms interference, but said they were fine. Mac then grabbed a map Desi had and just ran, saying something about the other side of the city. Desi told Riley what happened. 

"What do you mean, he just took off?" Riley asked Desi. 

"I don't know, he was acting weird, he was talking to himself out loud like the parrot guy on Venice Beach, and then he grabbed my map and ran." Desi explained. 

"He didn't tell you where he was going?" Riley asked Desi. 

"Something about the other side of the city." Desi said. 

Russ, Bozer, and Mariah were gathered around the table. Mariah had her tablet in hand and saw Mac's location wasn't on the map. 

"I don't have his location. His comms and GPS locator went off-line. If he wasn't talking to one of us, who was he talking to?" Matty said.

Russ had an idea and sat down his coffee cup. 

"Riles, show me the best angle you have of Mac before he scarpered." Russ said, walking to the screen, the other two beside him. 

"Yeah, you got it. But the CCTV doesn't have any audio." Riley said. 

"It doesn't matter. Just play it back at half speed." Russ said as the CCTV footage came up on the screen. 

It showed Mac walking past some vendors, talking to himself, not looking thrilled with whoever was on the other end of the comms. Russ just stared at the footage, and both Mariah and Bozer knew what he was doing. 

"You're reading his lips. "Rich naked people. How's it going, Ron?" Bozer realized and failed to translate. 

"Yeah, that's definitely it, isn't it?" Russ said sarcastically. 

"Lipreading isn't solely about the mouth, Boze. Different sounds are produced by similar shapes, which is why analyzing subtle facial clues is so important. Riles, just play that again, would you?" Russ said.

Riley played it back for Russ. 

"Murdoc. How are you on our comms?" Russ repeated what Mac said. 

Mariah held her breath. This was not good. 

"Someone hacked our comms? How is that possible?" Matty questioned.

"If it's possible, it can't be Murdoc because he's in our blacksite. Right?" Desi questioned Riley, not liking this at all. 

"Right here. An anomaly in the comm systems log from three months ago. Since then, the hacker's been snooping on our network traffic, mapping its protocols... then launched an evil twin attack." Riley explained. 

"That's one of those computer things with a scary-sounding name that's actually really boring, right?" Desi asked. 

"It means they haven't been on our comms network. We're on theirs." Riley said. 

Soon, Matty got more information for the team. 

"There was an incident at the black site three months ago. Murdoc escaped. The FBI launched a manhunt, but they didn't loop us in." Matty explained. 

Mariah was trying to figure out why they weren't told about this. 

"He hacked our systems, faked the wake-up call message which lured Mac to Mexico City..." Russ walked over by the table as Bozer and Mariah faced him, then had a lightbulb moment. 

"That's why these symbols don't mean anything. He was just imitating Codex's language!" Russ said as he kicked a box, getting angry. 

He shouted rubbed his face. Mariah walked up to him. 

"Russ, take a breath. We'll find an answer." Mariah said, grabbing Russ's shoulder, calming him down. 

"Riley, any luck on the comms?" Matty asked. 

"Can't kick off Murdoc. But I may have found a way to reopen the channel to Mac." Riley reported. 

"I just got a text from a random number with Mexico's country code, saying "Skyscrapper NE"." Desi reported. 

"Well, that has to be Mac. He can't talk to us, so he texted." Matty said. 

"Well, NE could be northeast. That's the direction he ran off in." Desi said. 

"It's also the direction of the city's commercial district. Full of tall buildings." Matty said.

"Any recent police reports or other unusual activities connected to them?" Desi asked. 

"A worker reported a break-in last night at the Torre de Klinda. Police pulled security footage and found images of..." Matty said before she stopped herself. 

"Matty?" Desi said, not liking the silence. 

"Matty, what is it?" Desi asked.

"I know how Murdoc escaped the black site. Riley, Desi, get to that building right now." Matty ordered. 

Soon, Riley got the comms opened back up. 

"Mac? Can you hear me?" Riley said. 

"Riley?" Mac said. Mariah exhaled, glad to hear from Mac. 

"Thank God. She re-linked to your comms. We're on our way to you." Desi said. 

"Hey. Hey, Murdoc has been listening to everything that we've been saying. He said I need to make it to the skyscraper..." Mac said. 

"Mac, we know. Don't talk, just listen. Murdoc isn't alone." Matty said. 

"He's not alone?" Mac questioned. 

"Apologies, Ms. Webber. In life, a man must commit himself and paint his own portrait, out of which there is nothing. Jean-Paul Sartre." A familiar voice came over on comms. 

"Andrews?" Mac questioned. 

"Surprise team-up!" Another voice came over the comms, which Mariah figured was Murdoc as he chuckled. 

"No way you saw that one coming, am I right?" Murdoc asked. 

"But how? And why the hell?" Mac asked. 

"You see, Mr. MacGyver, everyone carries a shadow. And the less it is embodied in the individual's conscious life, the blacker, denser, it becomes. You awakened my shadow." Andrews said. 

"Not to mention it's just plain fun. See, the general and I got together so we could all play this game... designed to push Phoenix to its limits and then rip you apart." Murdoc said. 

"Matty, Murdoc told me that you and the Taylors brought Mason in on an op, but it's okay. I'm sure you had your reasons for keeping it from me, but we're not gonna let him divide us." Mac said.

"So confident, Mr. MacGyver, but I suppose engineers have to be. Like the brilliant minds that erected this magnificent tower. Built on a fault line, no less. How?" Andrews said. 

"Earthquake proofing. Either rollers in the foundation or a seismic damper hung from the roof to counteract the movements from earthquakes." Mac said. 

"He's so smart. But here's a question. Just... hypothetically, if someone happened to take control of the damper, instead of using it to prevent damage from earthquakes..." Murdic said.

"They could cause one. No." Mac said, realizing this was not good. 

Just then, police reports from emergency calls were made, saying there was an earthquake and rubble was falling everywhere. This was Level 2. 

"The Mexican National Seismic Network registered a 5.8 magnitude quake localized to the building. Emergency services are responding to an explosion of 911 calls: broken gas lines, fires, flooding." Matty reported. 

"We're heading up an emergency stairwell that starts in the parking garage. Should we help with evacuations?" Riley reported in, obviously running. 

"No, the locals are on it. Your responsibility should be shutting down the seismic damper." Matty said. 

"Don't forget the part about how the building's structural integrity has been compromised and how one more Magnitude Murdoc could bring the whole thing down." Murdoc started laughing. 

"I mean, come on, that's my favorite part." Murdoc said.

"We may not be able to mute him, but we can still ditch our comms." Desi said. 

"No, that may be exactly what he wants and I'm not leaving you in the field blind." Matty said. 

"Just tune him out, like any other time." Mariah said. 

"You sure about that one, bosses?" Murdoc said. 

"Just be aware that he's tracking your locations and listening to every word you're saying." Matty said, ignoring Murdoc. 

"Ooh! Here's an idea. I mean, I'm just spitballing, what if la policia cuts power to the building?" Murdoc said. 

"We spoke about this; arrogance is failure's favorite companion." Andrew said. 

"Yeah, well..." Murdoc said when Mac interrupted. 

"Cutting the power won't work. Earthquakes down power lines, so the damper has its own dedicated source." Mac said, getting out of breath from running. 

"Aw, shucks. I really thought we were onto something there, Boy Scout." Murdoc said. 

Bozer and Mariah were looking at the screen and Russ was leaning against a table, trying to process this whole thing. 

"Why would Eric Andrews involve himself with this?" Bozer asked, turning around to face Russ along with Mariah. 

"Don't know. He and Murdoc have been behind our systems for a while, putting the fear of Codex into us." Russ said. 

"Murdoc I get. He's a psychopath who's wanted Mac dead for years. But Andrews? He's... he's calculated and disciplined and could've just slipped away." Bozer said. 

"Hi, Wilt." Murdoc came on comms and chuckled. 

"It's almost our five-year friendiversary." Murdoc mocked gasped as the trio in the war room looked at each other. 

"Which means I would never lie to you. Unlike your new pals Russel and Mariah." Murdoc said, causing Russ to poke his head up along with Mariah. 

"Ooh! You would not believe the secret they're keeping." Murdoc said. 

Mariah tried to keep a straight face. 

"What's he talking about?" Bozer asked the couple. 

"He's just trying to get into your head. Don't let him." Russ said. Bozer accepted what Russ said and they looked at the screen again. 

Soon, the trio in Mexico City made it to their destination. 

"Okay. Got to find the emergency stairwell for the next 30 floors." Mac said. 

He grunted, trying to open a doorknob. 

"It's locked." Mac said. 

"Cause Murdoc didn't just hijack the seismic damper. He-he owned the entire building -- he locked the floors from here to the top." Riley reported. 

"All right. Hold on, everybody, back up." Desi said before she fired her gun and Mac told her no.

"Heat-strengthened, laminated glass. We got to find something exceptionally hot or sharp to weaken it against low-velocity bullets. And the only thing that I have up here are cigarette butts and chewed gum. And rocks." Mac said. 

"The other door!" Riley exclaimed. 

"What?" Mac questioned. 

After a moment, Mac spoke. 

"We're trapped." Mac said. 

Russ was looking at the tablet, and Mariah was looking at the screen. 

"If I guessed it will you tell me?" Bozer asked them. 

"Just... focus on the mission. Do not let Murdoc distract you." Russ said. 

"Course not. But you have to have some idea what secret he's talking about." Bozer said to Russ. 

"Bozer... Mariah and I operate a covert spy organization with personnel at multiple levels of clearance. Techically, I've lied to you four -- no, five times this morning." Russ said. 

"Like when you said you liked my shirt or something bigger than that?" Bozer asked. Russ looked at Bozer. 

"I love your shirt." Russ said. 

Bozer seemed pleased himself. 

"Six." Russ said. 

Mariah smacked his arm.

"Bozer, I love your shirt. And I haven't lied to you today." Mariah assured Bozer. 

Just then, Murdoc came back on comms. 

"Could it be? MacGyver the Magnificent, stumped by little old me? No. I don't believe it. Trust me, Angus, there is always a way." Murdoc said. 

"You know, every word you speak is another punch to the face when I see you." Desi threated Murdoc. 

"I see why you like her, Mac. She's a firecracker. A real diamond in the rough. Anyway, while we have some downtime... you know that cute little thing you guys do, how you tap your comms earpieces to power them on and off? Well, I made some tweaks so now we can power them on remotely. And I learned the most interesting thing during Wilt and Riley's sidebar over at Phoenix earlier. Ring... a bell?" Murdoc said, causing Bozer to panic. 

"What? What is it?" Russ asked Bozer. 

"Bozer, what is it?" Mariah asked him. 

"Bad. Very bad." Bozer said. 

"Just use your words, man." Russ told Bozer. 

"Look, whatever lie you told me, I guarantee this is worse. Like a hundred million times worse." Bozer said, still panicking. 

"Angus, I believe there's a question that you had for Desi. Why not ask now? I mean, it's probably not how you imagined it, but you can't beat that view, man." Murdoc said. 

Mariah knew what it was. 

"Oh god." Mariah thought to herself.

"Shut up." Mac said. 

"Hey, whatever he's talking about, just ignore it." Desi said. 

"It's showtime." Murdoc said. 

"Okay, look, I'm gonna tell you something that I really, really shouldn't be telling anyone, but I'm gonna do it anyway because I don't know when it's gonna happen, and I think you deserve a heads-up." Bozers voice played back in a recording. 

"Okay." Riley said over the recording. 

"It has to do with that thing we agreed never to speak about again; about Mac." Bozer said on the recording. 

"You know what, I'm just gonna fast-forward." Murdoc said before he started speaking in gibberish. 

"Okay, now, here is... my favorite part." Murdoc said. 

"You want me to say it out loud? Fine. Yes. I had feelings for Mac. There, I said it. And, yeah, watching him and Desi together was breaking my heart. So I moved out of his house. Should have said something to him a long time ago, but I didn't, and now it's over. For good." Riley said over the recording. 

"Oh shit." Mariah whispered to herself, not really sure how else to react. 

"Guy, look..." Riley was about to say when Desi cut her off. 

"Riley, don't." Desi said. 

"Angus, who you gonna give the rose to? It's a tough choice." Murdoc said, adding to the tension. 

"Look, Desi..." RIley tried to explain again. 

"Hey, just stay in focus. Okay, we all need to stay focused." Desi said.

"I think I'm on Team Riley." Murdoc said. 

"The point is, the next thing you're gonna hear on that recording..." Riley said. 

Desi grabbed her comm and threw it. 

"We're not doing this, okay. We're not letting them manipulate us." Desi said. 

"Yeah. Good call." Mac said when his comm went down. 

"Uh-oh, Matty, three of your agents broke the rules. That means three times the punishment." Murdoc said. 

Just then more reports came in about an earthquake that was even worse than the last one. And just like that, Mac, RIley, and Desi were off comms. Mariah was still trying to process what had happened. She suspected Mac was gonna propose to Desi, but didn't know for sure. And she also suspected that Riley had feelings for Mac, but also didn't say anything. 

Soon, Russ and Bozer were both on the phones, as Mariah was still trying to calm down. 

"The fire department is reporting cracks starting to form in the foundation." Bozer reported, still on the phone. 

"No, no, no." Russ said, pacing as he spoke Spanish rapidly, trying to get information. 

"They give it 20 minutes before the building starts to come down." Bozer said. 

Russ was still on the phone, pacing, articulating with his hands a lot. Mariah just looked at him and smiled at him as she caught Bozer lowering the phone and looking at looking at the board. 

"Taylor..." Bozer said. 

He put the phone away and walked up to the board with Mariah as Russ still spoke on the phone, realizing what he saw. 

"Russel, get off the phone." Mariah told Russ. 

"I'm on the phone, darling." Russ said. 

Mariah groaned a bit. 

"Is it just me, or do those look like symbols from the wake-up call message we intercepted?" Bozer said, finally getting Russ's attention. He looked at the board and saw the same thing Mariah and Bozer saw and walked over as he sat the phone down. There were multiple little symbols around a larger symbol. 

"Where... in Codex's bunker did this document come from?" Russ asked.

"Leland and Gwen's residences. But if the characters are real..." Bozer said. 

"Then so is the message. Written in variations of their code language used by their leadership. You were right. But we're missing something." Russ said, looking at Bozer and Mariah. 

"Hey, fellas, uh, sorry to interrupt, but I am on the edge of my seat dying to find out. Wilt, did Russel and Mariah ever bear their souls and confess their sins? I hope so, because I haven't seen you get along this well with someone since your ex-GF." Murdoc said. 

Mariah tried to stay calm as Russ walked to grab the tablet. 

"Right. I am muting this man." Russ said. 

"The secret has to do with Leanna?" Bozer asked as Bozer almost backed Mariah into Russ and grabbed his tablet. 

"No. I want to hear it. You tell me or he does." Bozer said, not happy. 

"Russel, Mariah, last chance." Murdoc said. 

Russ and Mariah looked at each other and knew what they had to do. 

"Leanna was on an undercover CIA op. She was killed." Russ explained, sad for Bozer as Mariah tried to not cry as poor Bozer was processing the news. 

"I'm so sorry, Bozer." Mariah said, feeling bad. 

"Sorry." Russ said. 

Russ then grabbed the paper and went out of the war room. 

"Everybody out. I need a clean space." Russ ordered as he brought out a board and Mariah and Bozer came behind him. 

"How long ago was she killed?" Bozer asked them as Russ was clearing off a desk and Mariah as escorting the techs out. 

"Does her family know?" Bozer asked Russ, who gave no response. 

"If this wake-up call message really did come from Codex, then we were on the verge of discovering something really big in the Mexico City. Everything that Murdoc and Andrews are telling us is just a distraction." Russ said, laying the papers out and grabbing a marker and writing on the board. 

"Why wouldn't you tell me?" Bozer asked as Mariah walked over. 

Russ once again ignored Bozer and Mariah felt horrible. 

"Taylor, answer me! I was in love with her." Bozer said, getting Russ's attention. 

Mariah walked in front of Bozer and went beside Russ. 

"Leanna was... well, she was killed six months ago." Russ revealed. 

Bozer started to get emotional. 

"Six months?" Bozer said, almost crying. 

He went to walk away, but Russ stopped him. 

"Look, I didn't tell you because I was trying to protect you." Russ said. 

"Protect me?" Bozer questioned, still upset. 

"I made an assessment that you couldn't handle the news without it distracting your work." Russ explained. 

"It's not up to you and you to decide that." Bozer said, pointing to both Russ and Mariah. 

"Unfortunately, it is." Russ walked up to Bozer. 

"Do you know who killed her?" Bozer asked the couple, his eyes glassy.

"No." Russ said. 

"No." Mariah said. 

"Your assessment was wrong. I could've handled it." Bozer went to walk away again, but once again Russ stopped him. 

"If that is true, ignore everything you're feeling right now and consider this. Why did Murdoc choose this moment to tell you about Leanna, hmm? Because he is trying to deter us from deciphering this message, whatever it is, whatever it says. It is that important. So help me. Help me before it's too late." Russ all but begged Bozer. 

Bozer didn't say anything. 

"Prove me wrong." Russ said.

Bozer agreed and the trio got to work trying to decipher the message. They brought the board back into the war room, having out each individual symbol on the board. 

"It's a polygraphic substitution cipher." Russ explained as Matty was on the screen.

"How many unique characters did you solve for?" Matty asked. 

"Fourteen." Russ answered. 

"Is it enough to translate the wake-up call message?" Matty asked. 

"Hopefully we get close enough then we fill in the blanks." Mariah said as she and Bozer got the board in place and Russ grabbed a tablet. 

Russ tapped on the tablet, getting the cipher ready. Soon, Matty had some good news to report. 

"They did it, guys. The area around them stopped shaking." Matty reported. 

The trio in the war room looked relieved. 

"Right. Let's see what mysteries will be revealed." Russ said, tapping on the tablet more. 

The cipher went. 

"It's an I.P address with the log-in credentials. To access a server at Plaza Loreto, Mexico City." Russ said as he typed the I.P address in. 

"A server hosting what?" Matty asked. 

Russ found more information. 

"Looks like an online forum for Codex leaders." Mariah said. 

"The comms hack an earthquake ball was a distraction to stop us from breaking up an evil Zoom meeting?" Bozer questioned.

As Russ was on the tablet, a video feed popped on the screen. Desi and Rley were tied to a cabinet held at gunpoint by Andrews and Mac was being held by Murdoc at gunpoint. 

"Ladies, gentlemen, thank you, thank you for joining me." Andrews said as multiple more feeds filled the screen. 

Russ, Mariah, and Bozer looked at the screen. 

"Earlier this year, you lost a battle to our common enemy, the Phoenix Foundation. Months of hiding in the shadows has left your organization fragmented and weak. Your leader Leland has been killed. However, sometimes, by losing the battle you find a new way to win the war. You must elect someone to replace Leland, someone who has the discipline to beat those who oppose you. Someone like me." Andrews said. 

"Oh, hell no." Bozer said, not happy. 

"I don't expect you to take my word for it. So, as proof of my abilities and resources, I have arranged for you to watch me achieve retribution on your behalf. My offer is simple. I kill Phoenix front man Angus MacGyver, nephew of Titan, who thwarted your grand plans, and then..." Andrews said. 

"This isn't a meeting." Russ said. 

"I have your support." Andrews said. 

"It's an election. Oh hell." Mariah said, also not pleased with the turn of events. 

"Murdoc and Andrews timed it to kill Mac and then seize Codex's throne." Russ said. 

"All right. Into the spotlight, hero." Murdoc ordered Mac. 

Mac walked up, then was tackled by Murdoc. More techs had come in to the war room. The team watched with breaths held as Mac and Murdoc fought, trying to gain the upper hand. Murdoc then got Mac down, by blocking his punch, then punching him down. 

"Hey, Wilt, check out the new combo move I learned." Murdoc said as he grabbed Mac and punched him again and again and again. 

Then again. Mariah hated seeing Mac get beat up. 

"We're just supposed to stand here and watch Mac get killed?" Bozer asked. 

"Well, that's the idea." Murdoc said. 

He then threw Mac into the leg of the seismic damper. 

"Mac!" Desi called out to him. 

"No, Mac." Mariah said, worried about Mac, silently praying to whoever listened to help Mac. 

"Life is uncertain. Death is certain. Buddha." Andrews told Desi. 

Murdoc walked back over, and Mac was on the ground. 

"What a cool gizmo, Angus. And how perfectly poetic to finally put you down with one of your own inventions." Murdoc said as he grabbed the pack Mac made into a blowtorch. 

Murdoc laughed. Mac was trying to crawl away. 

"I have to admit, you've meant a lot to me over the years. My truly only worthy companion. Do you remember that time that I broke into your house and then you shot me off the deck with that high-pressured wine bottle gun? I mean, uh, that was cray-cray. Or, uh, when we went on our cross-country road trip away from Helman? Good times." Murdoc said before putting his foot on Mac's back. 

"To be honest... I'm gonna miss you, pal." Murdoc said. 

He flipped Mac over and ignited the blowtorch and inched it close to his face. Mariah had never felt so powerless. She saw Bozer grab the tablet and tapped on it. 

"Know what they say. It's better to have loved and murdered than to never have..." Murdoc said before him and Murdoc started grunting and a high pitch frequency was over the comms. 

Desi was able to escape with Riley and was able to disarm Andrews and eventually had both guns on them. Mariah let out the biggest sigh of relief as the Phoenix team applauded. Mariah leaned on Russ, glad Mac was okay. He turned to Bozer. 

"Genius move, Double-O-Boze." Russ complimented Bozer. 

Bozer looked at the couple who nodded their heads in thanks. 

"I wasn't gonna lose anyone else today." Bozer said. 

Russ smiled a tad and Mariah went back where Bozer went. 

"Boze." Mariah got his attention. She pulled him into a hug and got emotional. 

"Thank you for saving Mac. You're a good friend Boze." Mariah said. 

It was the next night but eventually, the trio came home and Murdoc and Andrews were arrested and sent to prison. Mac, Riley, and Desi came into the war room, where Bozer, Russ, and Mariah were already, having cleaned up the room some. At least putting the papers back in the boxes. Matty was once again on the screen. 

"Good job.

Mariah smiled. 

"General Ma at the helm of Codex? I don't even want to imagine what that would look like." Bozer said.

"Well, we don't have to. Law enforcement agencies all around the world are currently apprehending cell leaders as we speak. They will soon be joining Andrews and Murdoc in a deep, dark hole." Matty reported. 

"So does this mean Codex is gone? For good?" Riley asked. 

"It better be." Mariah said, assuring Riley and the team. 

The team seemed pleased. 

"So where's the champagne?" Desi asked. 

Russ and Mariah faced the team. 

"It's on its way, but first, Mariah and I would like to say something." Russ said, looking at Mariah, then the team. 

"I didn't know Leanna, but from what I hear, she was a first-class operative and an even better person." Russ said. 

He looked back at Mariah, then the team again, who was still emotional. 

"Doing this job is hard. We... I... often have to choose between two difficult options." Russ said. 

Mariah turned to Russ. 

"No. We both make these choices." Mariah said, indicating her and Russ. 

"We won't always choose the right one, but I promise... that we will always do what I think is best for the team. Bozer." Russ turned to Bozer. 

"From the bottom of my heart... I'm sorry." Russ said sincerely. 

Mariah exhaled. 

"I am so sorry about Leanna, Bozer. And I am sorry I kept that from you. I guess I was thinking after all we've been through, another loss would take you all over the edge. And Bozer, you were right. I had no right to keep Leanna's death from you. And I am so sorry. I hope you can forgive me." Mariah said, trying to keep from getting emotional again. 

Mariah took another breath. 

"As Russ said, this job isn't easy. Look, I was an Army medic for a long time before I got this job. I wasn't a mercenary, or a hacker, or some operative. I'm going to make mistakes. I'm going to make choices that you may or may not like. But know that I will always put you guys first. I know these past few months haven't been easy. Hell, this past year hasn't been easy. And I know we all haven't been on the best of terms. We've all said crap that has set us back. And I'm hoping you can forgive us both for the mistakes we make." Mariah said, calmed down.

"And Bozer, please know you're not the only one mourning her." Matty said. 

Riley then walked over and hugged Bozer. They stayed like that for a few moments before Mariah joined in.

They left for the night. Well, Mariah was still at the offices. Her phone rang. She pulled it out and looked at the caller I.D. Mac's name was on the screen. Mariah answered it. 

"Hey, Mac. What's going on?" Mariah asked. 

"Mariah, I need more advice." Mac said, obvious he was upset. 

Mariah went into the side office.

"I figured as much." Mariah said. 

"Mariah, how do you choose?" Mac asked Mariah. 

Mariah took a breath. 

"Well, it's not gonna be simple. You're gonna think that whatever choice you make, someone will get hurt. And that's not wrong. But, Mac, you have to think about you." Mariah said. 

Mariah

ran her fingers through her hair, exhaling. 

"Look, honest advice, ask yourself these questions; How do I feel around her? Does she make me a better person? Does she like me back? And the most important question you have to ask yourself; Can I see myself with her?" Mariah said, a hint of a smile on her face. 

"Thank you, Mariah." Mac said. 

"You're welcome. Mac, listen to your heart. I know there is no easy choice here. I also have something else to tell you. I suspected Riley had feelings for you. She told me she didn't anymore, but I suspected she lied. I should have told you. And for that I'm sorry." Mariah said.

Mac exhaled. 

"It's okay. Thank you again." Mac said, grateful.

"Anytime, kiddo." Mariah said. 

He hung up the phone. Mariah put her phone away and sat in her office chair. She held her head in her hands and exhaled. This was definitely an interesting couple of days. Secrets were revealed and relationships changed. 

"Darling." Russ was standing at the doorway of the office, taking Mariah out of her trance. 

"Hey, babe." Mariah smiled at him, sitting up. 

"You okay?" Russ asked. Mariah smiled. 

"Yeah. Or at least I will be." Mariah said.

She stood up and walked up to Russ in the doorway. Mariah put her arms around Russ's chest and Russ had his arms around Mariah. 

"Good." Russ said, smiling. 

Mariah and Russ looked at each other. There was a new spark in their eyes. Both Mariah and Russ noticed it. 

"You look better than when we started this mission." Russ pointed out. 

"So do you." Mariah chuckled then looked at Russ. 

"I feel like this weight is off my shoulders. Finally, Codex is gone. With the leaders in lockup, Codex can't rise again. I feel relieved. And grateful that everyone came home in one piece." Mariah said, feeling a lot less burdened. 

Russ smiled at her. 

"I know the feeling well. And that is indeed true, my dear." Russ booped Mariah's nose, causing her to laugh softly. Russ pulled Mariah towards him and kissed her lips. He let go but touched his forehead to Mariahs. 

"How did I get so lucky?" Russ asked himself. 

Mariah chuckled. 

"I don't know. But I'm glad it was my house you chose to stumble into. I've never been on an adventure quite like this one. Maybe we were meant to discover each other." Mariah said, looking at Russ. 

"Oh, so romantic." Russ teased, causing the couple to laugh.

"I love you." Mariah said. 

"I love you too." Russ smiled at Mariah. 

Things were finally looking up for the team again. Codex was gone. The team had a new understanding. And all it took was for a couple of psychopaths to hack their comms and reveal their secrets. And nearly kill Mac. Needless to say, everyone was relieved that Codex was finally done and they could more "normal" missions. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed this chapter! This chapter was so much fun to write! Now, let's get to the episode review!
> 
> I honestly really enjoyed this episode. I was a little surprised at the beginning with Mac wanting to propose to Desi, but I thought it was so cute that Mac made the diamond he was gonna use to make the ring. Then Bozer telling Riley that Mac was planning on proposing to Desi. And who doesn't love Murdoc's antics! Though, I'm a little upset we didn't get a Ghostbusters reference with the pack thing Mac made. I loved how Murdoc used the ring Mac made and basically forced him to reveal it, though I am glad he didn't actually as Desi, just pulled out the ring and kept it. And Justin Hires and Henry Ian Cusick's acting in this episode with the reveal that Leanna was killed! And Russ and Bozers faces when Mac was getting beat up! And Bozer using the trick Riley used and sending the high frequency to get Murdoc off of Mac and Andrews down and Desi kicking ass as always! Then said he couldn't lose anyone else! And Riley admitting to Mac that she had feelings for Mac since Germany! And then Mac showing up at the end of the episode, Mac went to Riley's, and you can't tell me they aren't in love! I'm still a bit iffy on Desi, however, with her saying she wanted to forget the last 24 hours had happened, but then said for Mac to follow his heart and kissed his cheek. To me, it felt a lot like a goodbye. I think it's too early to see if Desi's actions were character development or not. I really hope that we finally see Desi getting into a healthy relationship with someone who works for her. Though, I really hope they don't rush MacRiley because if that happens, I feel like it would seem as if Riley was a rebound, which is almost worst than if Mac had actually proposed to Desi. Right now the writers could either make their relationship the best slow burn ever or another baited relationship. And as a Destiel shipper in the Supernatural fandom (you know what I mean) I am very wary about what will happen. I also am worried about what'll happen with MacDesi because we didn't exactly see a breakup. This could mean we're getting a love triangle, which can either end good or bad. 
> 
> That is all for my review! Once again, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Thank you for all the love on this series! I can't wait for the next episode! Much love to you all! Stay safe!
> 
> Kaylee

**Author's Note:**

> TO BE CONTINUED


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